Adventure of Melissa and the Superfriends
by Aquaformer
Summary: I do not own the Superheroes, they are owned by DC Comics. These are very long chapters, but i felt like posting them in one story
1. Chapter 1

**SuperFriends versus the Age Thief**

(The Characters in this imaginative tale are from the cartoons of the 1970's Super Friends – the costumes, imagery, voices, and the like are all from that time period and cartoons.

The cheerful, carefree yet boring Saturday morning started out just like any other so-called normal sunny spring day on the planet Earth, as several of the Super Friends, also known as several of the members of the Justice League of America (also known as the JLA), gathered for a weekly morning conference at the Hall of Justice. The Hall itself was a sophisticated technological marvel and the HQ of the SuperFriends (on Earth as the Justice League satellite that was in space was for other threats as well as JLA meetings). It was at an anonymous location known to only those who are part of the SuperFriends and constructed to protect the SuperFriends while inside the hall as well as to train new junior and honorary members.

The Hall had been built particularly so that the SuperFriends could use it as a location to prepare and educate junior members and to have a ground center of operations on Earth that the SuperFriends could meet in, in addition to being a storage place for Superfriends trophies from cases they had solved or villains they had fought. The hall even had lead shielding built in to protect Superman, should it be necessary, from outside sources of Red, Gold, Blue and Green Kryptonite (as well as any other type of Kryptonite that could affect Superman. However should Kryptonite be smuggled into the hall concealed in lead it would not be able to be detected unless it was a lot of Kryptonite). (This ability [and weakness in the armor] to sneak minute amounts of Kryptonite in would later be exposed in a most interesting technique.).

Hence, the Hall was an essential formidable fortress for our superheroes. It had fortifications for all the Justice League members' weaknesses (such as protection from certain yellow rays (excluding the sun) for Green Lantern or fire retardant for Martian Manhunter) as well as having a protective force field to be doubly sure that members at meetings were well protected. The Justice League Satellite was not used to train junior members as it was in space (22,300 miles above Earth's surface) and was used for strictly for JLA meetings. However, a secondary use was to monitor the galaxy (to safeguard Earth from intergalactic and interplanetary menaces such as Bizzaro and Brainiac, two of Superman's many notorious adversaries from other galaxies that relentlessly terrorize Earth because of Superman). The satellite could also come in handy should the Superfriends/JLA ever need to escape the earth in order to make a plan to save the earth.

(In fact, the hall was protected so that anyone who was not cleared to enter would set off an alarm way before he or she could get too close to the Hall). (This alarm was also in place to protect all the specialized technological equipment the SuperFriends hid in the Hall, as well as other precious possessions such as the Museum of Justice where memorials stood to show that no threat ever withstood the Superfriends – these items rotated.) (Certain authority figures had a special clearance after going through rigorous screenings by the Superfriends, in fact the only people who set off the alarms were people that were known to be dangerous, such as those villains who held membership in the Legion of Doom).

Additionally, The Hall of Justice was always safeguarded/monitored by a senior member or junior member pair of the Superfriends whether they stayed and slept in the hall (which happened more when some were away on a mission, and usually the Junior members, such as the Wonder Twins, were in the hall at this time), or someone who monitored from somewhere further away (such as the Bat-cave, Aqua-cave, or the Fortress of Solitude. Rarely, it was monitored from the surreptitious mountain headquarters of the Teen Titans – mostly when Robin had to monitor it and help the Teen Titans at the same time). When Wonder Woman was on watch, she could monitor it from Paradise Island if there or she could monitor by telepathy as long as she was somewhere in the vicinity (in the 48 contiguous United States).

This particular spring morning was bright, breezy, and sunny without a cloud in the clear blue sky and there was not much was happening in the world that the SuperFriends needed to handle. All appeared calm and serene, exactly like the peaceful calm before an unforeseen, undetected, unidentified threatening thunderstorm that is gradually but indisputably brewing on the extremely outlying horizon. (It has not completely formed yet, but is starting to gather its own tremendous potency). It was just one of those eerily beautiful and eerily silent days where the deceitful beautiful weather gives no hint as to what fury lies hidden beneath.

Present in the Hall of Justice on this excellent spring morning were the SuperFriends Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, and their young protégés. The young ones included the Exxorian Wonder twins Zan and Jayna with their mischievous pet, a blue space monkey (with an elastic tail) from Exxor named Gleek, as well as Marvin and Wendy with Marvin's dog, named Wonder, in honor of Wonder Woman (Marvin has always been awed with Wonder Woman and her capabilities – yeah). All the junior members were enthusiastic to start learning what the Superfriends wanted to teach them. The meeting started as normal as possible, with almost no one the wiser as to what the day would bring.

Other SuperFriends' members, or JLA-ers as they were sometimes designated, were far out in the many reaches of the galaxy completing other vital missions, light years away from Earth. The closest member (who could be contacted in an extreme emergency) was the Green Lantern (also known as Test Pilot Hal Jordan in his everyday civilian identity – which is only known to a select minority) handling a situation on Mars with his Venetian collaborator Kyro. Green Lantern had been sent there to help the Guardians recapture an escaped criminal.

Several super-associates were on still located on Earth, but they were unavailable for emergencies for one rationale or another. Green Arrow (with his ward Speedy) could not be contacted even though he was on Earth as he was in Antarctica during a time of year that would prohibit patent communication from that particular classified locality. Members of the Teen Titans, such as Aqualad, Wonder girl, and Kid Flash were busy (however, Kid Flash was actually not on Earth) with training and obligations in their own respective domains.

Aqualad had patrol and babysitting duties, due to Aquaman's absence to attend the Superfriends' assembly and Mera (Aquaman's wife) needed to run some errands and finish some household chores. Arthur, Jr., could be quite a handful – just like his father – and could get into plenty of mischief if left unattended (as Aqualad found out one time, providentially Aquaman came to save the day speedily). Wonder Girl was in the core of her Amazon training and learning more about her resilient, robust, stalwart, durable, powerful feminine heritage on Paradise Island, and Kid Flash was with Flash (whose surreptitious identity was Police Scientist Barry Allen) on his secret mission, along with Hawkman and Hawkgirl on the remote planet Thanagar (Hawkman and Hawkgirl's home world). (Hawkman and Hawkgirl were married and known as the married couple Scientists Carter and Shayera Hall in their everyday civilian identities on Earth.)

The day appeared so incredibly tranquil (and innocent), blasé, and languid that even the SuperFriends had taken it easy to get to the hall for the morning conference. Superman was the initial member to arrive at the hall (of course), flying in even at a relaxed velocity after visiting his Fortress of Solitude in the frigid Artic after a recent expedition into outer space to complete an imperative mission on a faraway world. He started setting up for all the day's training sessions and activities as well as checking out all the instruments in the Hall used to locate trouble, as those were the responsibilities of the first to arrive at the hall.

The purpose Superman went to his Fortress was threefold. The Man of Steel had to drop something off and pick something up to bring from his fortress to help teach the young protégés (a.k.a. the Junior Members of the SuperFriends). In addition, before he could go to the meeting he had to do a few chores up at the Fortress such as check on the shrunken city of Kandor, which he promptly finished and headed off to the morning meeting. Clark Kent was on vacation from his job at the Daily Planet, so no one would really being missing him. However, if Clark could get a first-rate account on Superman, the Superfriends or JLA, the Daily Planet would certainly appreciate it, at least that was what Perry White told the docile, klutzy, mild-mannered, geeky reporter Clark Kent before he left for vacation.

Batman and Robin arrived soon after The Man of Tomorrow (Superman), after taking the elongated, picturesque itinerary and driving through the hushed countryside from Gotham City in the Bat-multicraft, as the Batmobile needed a rest and was low on gasoline at the time-being and the Bat-jet and Bat-Copter just needed a break. (The Bat Rocket was at this point being stored at the Hall of Justice in case of space emergencies). The Dynamic Duo brought with them spare sets of some of their paraphernalia for the junior members to scrutinize and practice with so that they could become acclimatized with techniques to distinguish, scrutinize, and fight crime (as well as learn how to accumulate, unearth, and process evidence from the finest, most minute particulars.) The Caped Crusaders were the best detectives to learn how to process evidence in the minutest detail as they often found details unnoticed by others.

Robin was looking forward to teaching the junior Superfriend members tricks he had learned while he was a circus star. (Robin also liked that he was no longer the youngest, and that he now had people looking up to him for guidance). Batman was hoping the meeting would be as uneventful as the day appeared and that they would have time to teach what they wanted to teach the junior members, but he knew from experience that tranquil days usually lead to extraordinarily crazy adventures that demand immediate and full attention. (You see, such occurrences happened more often than not, particularly to the Superfriends).

Wonder Woman and Aquaman arrived last because the Amazing Amazon had flown in from Paradise Island after visiting her mom, who was Queen of the Island. In addition, she had to collect the King of the Seven Seas (after he kissed his wife and son goodbye and left Aqualad in charge of his patrol) on her way to the Hall. Even they came in flying leisurely in on Wonder Woman's invisible jet. Wonder Woman and Aquaman each brought something from their respective realms to help teach the junior members. In fact, Aquaman needed to bring a little extra water on the plane because they flew in so leisurely.

Wendy and Marvin arrived just ahead of Wonder Woman and Aquaman after riding their bikes to the hall, bringing with them Wonder Dog, the Wonder Twins, and Gleek. It had taken Wendy and Marvin awhile, but they finally taught the Twins how to ride bikes and ride them safely (Zan had tried to showoff and ended up with several small lacerations on his hands, arms, and legs but not on his head thanks to a helmet that he had reluctantly agreed – was forced – to wear). When all finally arrived, the training sessions and meeting began. It was going to be a morning meeting (and an experience) that no one would soon forget as well as a chance for the young ones to put their new training and skills to use.

The young trainees were first taught about trapeze ability and agility from Robin, as well as Batman (more so from Robin as he was an ex-circus star who had worked on the trapeze). This went better for Wendy and Jayna, as they were more flexible (patient and teachable) than Marvin and Zan, both of whom had a tendency to whine when things became even a little bit complicated or complex. Gleek even tried to get on the trapeze and did decent, but had more of a tendency to get in the way than be helpful. Wonder Dog, who could not climb at all, tried to help the boys, but only succeeded in causing Zan and Marvin to become tangled up in the rope to slide down on. It was quite a sight to see, and both Wendy and Jayna laughed. Zan quickly righted himself, and he griped about it being too arduous a skill to master. Marvin, on the other hand, just hung there for a minute and even made a pun that rivaled one of Robin's famous puns, as Marvin always tried to be optimistic no matter what happened. Robin had to make a comment regarding Marvin's choice of words (that they rivaled Robin's) and all laughed heartily before Marvin fell safely into the safety net below. Shortly after Marvin reached the net, the rest of the group started coming down from the trapeze, including Robin, who was still laughing heartily.

After the trapeze exercises, Batman and Robin also taught and helped all four to practice punching and fighting opponents (in this case, large punching bags filled with sand). Batman and Robin immediately noticed that Zan, Jayna, Wendy, and Marvin were not punching with their full potential and Batman told them to step aside while Robin demonstrated how to strike with the most force behind it. Robin, punching his best with his full weight (and more) behind the punch, broke the container in half and sand promptly came spilling out onto the floor of the gymnasium. The four trainees were extremely astonished and incredibly impressed while Batman (while smiling) explained that was how Robin was capable of tackling and taking down people bigger than twice his size (not to mention that Robin, as Dick Grayson, works out frequently with Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne – known to only the other members of the SuperFriends/JLA).

After receiving the lengthy instruction (and attempting the multiple additional skills) from Batman and Robin, it was Wonder Woman and Aquaman's turn to teach the young members. Wonder Woman had a little trouble training Marvin and Zan this morning as she was doing some Amazon training that was made more for Jayna and Wendy than Zan and Marvin, but she made it work. Marvin tried his best and did ok, but Zan, still overconfident, failed more than once (but, as was mentioned, this was a preparatory session). All needed a respite after Wonder Woman's instruction, and so the young members took a short breather before heading off to their next tutorial.

After finally catching their breath, it was Aquaman's turn to educate the adolescents. Aquaman brought them all into the pool at the far end of the Hall and was practicing with them how to hold their breath for short amounts of time if they absolutely needed to. He also demonstrated how to interpret certain water indications to find protected places and sunken hideaways, especially those that would have trapped air inside. He also taught them specified aquatic communications in case they required help. All this training was accomplished without using one superpower or ability (including Aquaman who did not stay underwater longer than a real human did, except that he had to talk underwater to his trainees.) It was important to the Superfriends that the young trainees learn to use their intelligence and not solely rely on gadgets and powers, as they would not always be accessible or available.

Last, but not least, it was Superman's turn to educate the adolescents. Now while the young trainees were obviously not indestructible and lacked the powers that Superman possessed (as none of the protégés were Kryptonian, even though Jayna could turn into a Kryptonian animal, but only if Zan was near), Superman focused more about how essential brainpower was in crime solving as well as developing keen senses and consciousness. He displayed photographs and educated them in how to catch certain non-obvious clues as well as looking at how people act rather than just what they say as well as using other senses to gain vital, imperative, essential information. The Kryptonian Crusader then stepped out of the room for a moment while the trainees looked at the photos he had given them and wrote down what they thought were clues, and Superman returned with Batman and Robin a short time later.

Marvin and Wendy were slightly quicker at picking things up as they were used to Earth things and could overlook the obvious versus the new-to-Earth Wonder Twins. Wendy and Marvin also pitched in to show how to ignore certain average objects, however, Superman reminded Wendy and Marvin that sometimes possessions that we get used to overlooking is the very evidence we need. Superman mentioned this after Zan and Jayna found a clue that Superman had put in a photo that normally would be overlooked by regular Earthlings like Marvin and Wendy, but would be easily picked up by someone new to Earth such as the Wonder Twins (or someone who lived on Earth but was from another planet – like Superman). Wendy and Marvin took the instruction in stride, learning the lesson that even material that appears to be normal can be the biggest lead, something that Batman had been trying to teach them as well. The tutorial taught that the biggest clue is not always hidden, sometimes the biggest and best clue can be standing in plain sight right in front of you in an ordinary everyday object that seems in place (hiding in plain sight) and unless you pay close attention, you will overlook it.

Superman also taught about how to be patient and not immediately jump into something or jump to conclusions without looking for all the explanations, evidence, and reasons (a good lesson considering what was going to happen later that day). Treating people as innocent until proven guilty was stressed for the young ones as well. He even had Batman and Robin teach a small snippet, to show that brainpower is truly more superior to just brute strength. (It was shown that Batman and Robin could take down Superman with the smallest bit of Green Kryptonite – hence brain over brawn).

The Green Kryptonite was promptly put away so Superman did not endure any ill effects. This also demonstrated knowing the weakness or weaknesses of your opponent is essential, as well as knowing ones own weakness or weaknesses. In fact, the truth was revealed when Batman removed his cowl, and the kids found that it was Superman in Batman's uniform and vice versa. After putting the Green K away and switching back to their customary garments, Superman showed that he had a lead-filled garb on to illustrate that he knew and understood his own weaknesses and limitations. This demonstration was extraordinarily effectual in getting the point across – although not everyone has as obvious or as well known weakness as Superman – Batman explained.)

The significance of these training sessions was so that if anything ever happened where the junior members got into a predicament (and the twins were powerless to activate their shape shifting powers), the young ones could actually fight back and help the SuperFriends. This was especially true if the Superfriends were unable to get to the situation right away or if the young heroes needed to rescue the senior members. The junior members were also given reading material to study to work hand in hand with their physical training sessions, compliments of Batman who emphasized that in order to capture criminals, one has to understand how they operate and ruminate. The young protégés were especially worn out after all the training and took a short respite before starting up a jovial basketball game. It was an extended weekend from school for the young ones and they had all their homework for school completed prior to this meeting.

Things, at first, appeared to reveal that it would be a pretty leisurely and calm day. No major or minor disasters were being reported anywhere in Earth's vicinity. The trouble alert was silent, the hotline from Washington D.C. was still, and the CDQ (a high priority alert) box from the SDI (Secret Department of Investigation) was eerily silent. Even the international emergency frequency was soundless. The local authorities were handling any petty transgression that was happening (wherever the crime took place); hence, the services of the Superfriends were neither required nor requested as the authorities had it all under control. The kids (a.k.a. the Jr. SuperFriends) were playing an intensely rousing game of girls versus boys basketball with the animals (after already going through the lessons the Superfriends were planning to teach them this day) while the most of the senior members of the SuperFriends were watching their assigned positions to monitor the Trouble Alert.

Wendy and Jayna had made blueberry muffins and some biscuits and gravy (to be washed down with orange juice or skim milk) for the heroes and protégés to have at the meeting since no one had eaten breakfast before they came. In fact, Batman and Robin had literally just come from solving another one of their famous cases and only had time to change transportation vehicles because the Batmobile was low on gas. Everyone enjoyed the food (even though Superman could go days without food) and then the monitoring began for the senior members.

After taking the junior members through their specified training sessions for the week, the senior members got down to business of monitoring the Earth for any threats (locally, nationally, internationally and interplanetary) while letting the junior members hang around to practice the new skills they learned as well as have some fun. The junior members decided to play a rousing game of basketball as a way of getting to know each other better since the Wonder Twins were still new to Earth and thrilled to discover things about Earth, particularly American customs since they resided in America. Zan was always incredibly overconfident, but his cockiness was what got him in trouble. No one was exactly sure how to teach Zan to be a little more humble, but they did try. They did not want him to lose his personality; just modulate the cockiness (although cockiness is exceptionally American, lamentably).

Moreover, Wendy and Marvin planned to instruct them as much as they could and pass on knowledge they gained from Snapper Carr (as well as the Super Heroes) who formerly was the initial honorary member of the Justice League of America. Snapper helped train Wendy and Marvin, and then went on to school and became a detective who rarely helped now because he had many cases on his own to handle. However, one thing that Marvin and Wendy knew that Snapper did not was the clandestine identities of the SuperFriends as well as several other members of the Justice League (but not all the members of the JLA).

While the boisterous basketball game was going on, the senior members set out to their assigned posts. Superman, the Action Ace, was sitting by the hotline daydreaming after his latest escapade in outer space of which he had just put his memento of in his fortress. Superman knew the people of that world would now be protected for some time to come. Aquaman was monitoring the Trouble alert while watching the time to make sure he could refresh himself with water in time and Wonder Woman was reading an anecdote (in which the protagonist and heroine was a robust, resilient, muscular woman) while watching the CDQ box. Each, although somewhat distracted, would be ready in an instant should one of the alert sirens resound.

On the other side of the monitoring room, Batman and Robin were playing a "leisurely" but exceptionally competitive game of table tennis, while listening for the international and interplanetary emergency frequency, which had its apparatus near the ping-pong table. Robin seemed to be having the upper hand, although Batman was making various interesting and elaborate shots, sending Robin running and diving after the ball every time. Just who would prevail was still up in the air. Other than the table tennis tournament (with banter and Robin's infamous "clever" puns) and the basketball exhibition competition (with banter) in the gym area adjacent to the trouble alert room (but the door was closed between the two rooms), there was not a sound in the hall. It seemed like it was all they could do to try to stay awake during the monotonous lull, which was bizarre and rare.

Marvin and Zan were showing off their basketball skills as they were shooting hoops versus Jayna and Wendy. Marvin had taught Zan to play, and Zan was a little overconfident about his limited skills (like always). Wendy taught Jayna, and did better as Wendy is better than Marvin is at certain things like basketball. Wonder dog and Gleek were helping the girls because the boys were better and because they wanted to. In fact, Gleek blocked one of Zan's fancy fade-away jump shots with his extensive elastic tail, hitting the ball to Wonder Dog who knocked the ball over to Wendy who passed it to Jayna, who shot the game-winning and game-ending point for the girls which went through the hoop with a swish – nothing but net.

After Jayna scored the winning point making the score 10 to 9, Zan had to gripe about the whole thing. For we all know that Zan does not shut up very easily, especially when he feels that he has something legitimate to whine, gripe, and mope about. Marvin just shrugged his shoulders at Zan, figuring that Zan had to find some way to blow off steam. Never mind the fact that Marvin had tried to get Zan to pass him the ball, as he was wide open under the basket, but Zan wanted to show off. Marvin was deliberately left wide open under the basket because Jayna knew that Zan would try to make the game ending shot so he could take all the glory. In essence, Jayna had told Wendy to leave Marvin wide open. Marvin and Zan had no idea that it had been set up like that. Oh well, all is fair in war and basketball.

"It's not fair," whined Zan "You always win."

"Well," responded Jayna laughing, "with Gleek around it makes things fairer. Besides, you're just irritated because you let me have the ball and the winning basket."

And with that, Jayna promptly tossed the ball to Wendy who also laughed as she caught the ball, along with Marvin, Gleek, and Wonder dog as they sauntered back into the main room in the Hall. Zan just showed a pout-y face, and then laughed as well, joining the others and walking to the main room. Even Robin had to chuckle at that one, distracting him and forcing him to give up an effortless point to Batman. Then all of the sudden, something made everyone jump and Wendy dropped the ball, which rolled inaudibly into the nearby corner. The table tennis game went silent after Batman hit the ball and it went wide of table. What could that be? What finally broke the monotony of this tranquil, quiet, unassuming day?

Unexpectedly, the Trouble Alert went off, blaring deafeningly, as it often does when it seems the most peaceful and the once entertaining and playful mood takes on a much more somber atmosphere, one equipped for (and anticipating) action and adventure (as well as peril). It was not a huge emergency, just something that Superman could handle, as he could get there the fastest and Aquaman had stepped out for a moment to get refreshed in water, as his hour was almost up. The alert was a minute, supposedly trivial matter, which involved one supposedly small human being in a quandary. Little did any suspect that this was the origin of the predicament soon to plague the Superfriends.

What Superman (or any of the other SuperFriends) did not know was that this particular emergency related to a new innovative alien villain, Ybab Zero. He was so new (at least to Earth) that incredibly few people knew of his existence including the mighty Man of Steel. A vast majority of the people who did know about Ybab and his caper were dead (when Krypton blew up in a chain reaction) or lived on Nanaton, a distant planet unknown to Earth scientists. (However, it was known to Superman, thanks to his biological father, Jor El, who had loaded knowledge of the universe into little Kal El's escape rocket and taught it to Superman in the Fortress of Solitude).

However, just for the audience to know, he (Ybab) wanted to regress a majority of the world into babies and toddlers so that he could raise them with hypnotized adults. He desired it this way so that he could have his way and rule the Earth with no chance of having a rebellion from his "subjects", who would have no idea that things were not as they should be. (After his first successful take over, he would go further to take over the universe, but for now, he needed the first planet to fall so he could establish a base and an army of troops to help him).

His first attempt to overtake a planet had failed piteously and he swore that this time he would not fail, no matter what the cost. This time no one would be able to impede him. Moreover, he swore that neither the so-called SuperFriends nor The Justice League of America would be able to thwart him from achieving his ultimate aspiration – domination of the cosmos. Moreover, to add more fuel to the hatred fire, Ybab had discovered that Kal El, the only son of Jor El and now known as Superman, dwelled on the planet Earth. He felt it helped his cause that Earth was completely oblivious of him and the ominous menace he presented. (Unknown to all parties involved there was a woman on Earth who was well aware of what was going to happen. How you may ask? Well you will just have to continue reading and find out.)

He came from the planet Nanaton, a planet in the same solar system as Krypton that was slightly larger than Krypton. Therefore, as you could imagine, he was almost as physically powerful, indestructible, and solid as Superman was, especially with Earth's yellow sun, (not the same as Nanaton was further away from the Red Sun and the gravity was slightly less heavy than Krypton's gravity was). However, Ybab's weakness was the white Kryptonite even though White Kryptonite usually only affected plants, (helpful microorganisms that grew in the Nanatonian to help them survive and thrive were so plentiful and related to plants, and it was such a rare recessive peculiarity that most Nanatonians knew exceptionally little to nothing about it).

(White Kryptonite is about the only known variety of Kryptonite that has absolutely no effect on Superman at all – unlike Red, Blue, Gold or Green. The SuperFriends were always on the look out for Gold Kryptonite because it could deprive Superman of all his magnificent powers and they would be unable to be restored). A minute quantity of white Kryptonite would return Ybab Zero to his banishment place in the ninth dimension for 365 days, an entire Earth year. (No one, including Ybab, realized that Ybab was extremely susceptible to White Kryptonite, as he had only heard about it in historic teachings but there was not that much in there about it anyways).

Part of the rationale they (rare Nantonians, and rare recessive traits would counteract traits from Kryptonian heritage) were affected by this Kryptonite was due to the history where people from Krypton had come to Nanaton and had inter mingled with the native Nanatonians, thus most of the people had some Kryptonian and Nanatonian genetics in them. However, due to different planetary conditions, the people had a mutation that caused a weakness that the original Kryptonians and Nantonians did not have, and the people did not have the weaknesses of the originals. Although, it needs to be said that some who had not intermingled had their original weaknesses, or a mutated version of the weakness.

While these rare unmixed people had the original weaknesses, it had somewhat mutated a little as well. Ybab was one who was part Nanatonian and part Kryptonian; hence, he had the mixed mutated weakness (however it was rare to be as sensitive to it as Ybab was), not the weakness to Red Kryptonite (which was like Green K to Superman) like the rare Kryptonians or Gray Nanite like the rare true breed Nanatonian. However, it also needs to be stated that most were not even aware of a weakness since they dwelled on Nanaton, and those who had severe weaknesses were only seen to have allergies by Nanatonian physicians. Moreover, it was more common, on Nanaton for a citizen of mixed heritage to be reactive to a number of different things. (Superman had somehow been able to make contact at some point and picked up some info that would be valuable later on – as he had resumed monitoring Ybab after learning of his failed attempt to overtake Krypton, but Superman had been busy recently and unable to monitor Ybab).

Superman could carry this particular form of Kryptonite (White Kryptonite) without harming himself or anyone else on Earth as long as he did not make the White Kryptonite explode. If the White Kryptonite exploded, it would kill all the plants on Earth (normally it would not affect Earth's plants, as they were not Kryptonian), thus killing all the people for there would be no living thing to produce enough oxygen, so vital to existence on Earth. (Only Superman knew about this).

White Kryptonite is also an exceedingly delicate and light weight (as the Superfriends were to find out later) variety of Kryptonite found only in one remote place in the universe (as everywhere else had gotten rid of the minute amount that they had in this one sector since the largest quantity was found on this particular planetoid). Therefore, Ybab figured he had extremely little to fret about as far as he was concerned, or so he assumed. He figured that no one knew where it could be located (nor wanted to go near the place even if he or she found out). However, he never thought that Earth computers could find things with a minimal amount of information from a distant planet that blew up long ago (nor did he think there was anyone brave or bold enough to go get the White Kryptonite). He thought he would be able to succeed without a hindrance.

Ybab was a well-known master of disguise (at least in his own galaxy), something that aided him in escaping the 9th dimension (and the fact that there were few guards to make sure he could not escape as no one had tried to escape before and succeeded). He was vengefully determined to get revenge on Kal El, the son of Jor El of Krypton who had foiled Ybab's original take-over plans. Even though he was a master of disguise, he was not quite as magically powerful as Superman's cosmic-joking nemesis from the fifth dimensional world of Zrff, Mr. Mxyzptlk, as the ninth dimension lacked magic. (Nanatonians possessed a small amount of magic but not much, which was in response to the little helpful microorganisms growing in their body), which means the only way to get rid of him was through the White Kryptonite. Additionally, while his disguises deceived most people, experienced detectives if they knew what to look for could tell the camouflage was just that --- a masquerade (detectives like the famed Batman (the dark knight) and Robin (the boy/teen wonder) also known as the Dynamic Duo and Caped Crusaders--- if only they knew). Anyway, back to the story.

Superman hurriedly took off with a immense sense of urgency, flying at super sonic speed to rescue the small baby floating in a miniature, dilapidated wooden crate in the middle of Lake Decatur, which at this time of the year was known to have tornados ravaging through the area, as it was April. April was a month known to the locals as "tornado season" especially in this section of the country known as "Tornado Alley". The upsurges were getting more intense and violent; and it was feared the babe might be lost in the murky waters. It did not look promising for the tiny tot unless Superman got there immediately and saved the little one. Superman knew he needed to get there speedily before the little one was lost in the violent, filthy lake.

Superman flew swiftly out to the wee child and carefully picked him up just as a mammoth swell crashed over the small wooden crate, smashing it to bits. He flew to the nearest shoreline with the child, which happened to be a forested area of Decatur, Illinois. With his primary concern about saving the child running through his brain, he failed to realize that this baby was not like any he had met, seen, or carried before on Earth. He had failed to read the first warning signs that this "child" might not be all that he was expected to be. Superman had no idea the revelation he was in for once he placed that little "child" onshore.

All of the sudden, once ashore, the infant started to change right in front of Superman's startled eyes and exposed Superman to what might seem to be a small amount Red Kryptonite, which turned him (just his body) this time into a small child, a toddler to be more precise. While the effects of Red Kryptonite are variable every time on Superman, this particular exposure made him younger as well as helped the effect of the other weapon the Ybab had to use on Superman. (However, for the audience to know the particular effect of Red Kryptonite only works for one exposure – and after once, that piece does not effect Superman again –, hence it changes each time). As for all his mighty powers, he still retained those, though they were proportionate to his stature and ability at the time he originally was that size.

Fortuitously, for Superman though, a friendly someone had been monitoring the circumstances the entire time (and he did not completely lose all his adult memory – which was also a curse), someone who had not been changed by Ybab, somehow managing to escape and attempting to thwart all of his attempts of completing his mission. A woman named Melissa ran out to steal the "child" before Ybab Zero could change him too much. It was a judicious save for the Last Son of Krypton, who was so shocked at the time that he let himself be whisked away by this now much larger human female.

For Superman to have this much exposure to Red Kryptonite, he would change for a much longer period of time. The exposure itself was limited thanks to the woman; however, the consequences were going to linger for quite some time, as was previously mentioned. For in addition to the Red Kryptonite was a special shaft made by Ybab that would change Superman's age because it contained small fragments of a red sun, which saps some Superman's superpowers, such as invulnerability. Once the beam was turned off or not aimed at Superman, he regained his powers, but since he had been somewhat regressed, he no longer had the mastery over all of his powers and was unable to fly off (since it was one of the last powers he learned to control). Hence, it was easy for Melissa to spirit little Superman away to safety, although he was a slight bit heavier than she expected (due to his Kryptonian body and heritage – and the fact that he could not really fly at least with any sort of control).

For you see, Ybab Zero at this point was more concerned about how to get Superman and the other SuperFriends out of his way. If he could get the Superfriends out of his way or better yet change them so he influenced them, then he could go ahead with his dastardly plan to take over the entire Earth and possibly even get the Superfriends to help him succeed where before he alone had failed. No one would be left to stop him.

Ybab knew that the regular inhabitants of this bizarre planet called "Earth" (as he learned it was called from the first agents he added to his army) were exceedingly fragile and feeble compared to him. The only ones that could possibly stop him were the SuperFriends, but he figured that he would take care of them easily, particularly now with the strongest affiliate, Superman, being taken out of the way. Now he would finally be able to exact his revenge on Kal El, now known as Superman on Earth (or reporter Clark Kent --- Superman's secret identity that very few knew about and Ybab was not one of them --- when not on patrol or alert). A malevolent smile now slowly crossed Ybab's sinister countenance.

He had left Superman alone in the chance that it would get rid of him and/or hoped that a slave that was hypnotized by Ybab would come pick Superman up. You see, it was Superman's biological (Kryptonian) father, Jor-El, who had been instrumental in sending Ybab Zero to the ninth dimension as punishment for his disastrous and dastardly crime committed against Krypton and the Kryptonian people. (Ybab could tell that whatever superpowers that Superman had, Superman was not able to correctly control now and so Ybab figured Super "baby" would be easy pickings for one of his henchman – especially since he would be unable to fly away Ybab noticed). Ybab had been out of the loop for so long, he did not realize that Green Kryptonite was what made Superman weak and could kill him if exposed for too long to a moderate to large amount. (Tiny amounts would weaken Superman, but not physically harm him otherwise unless he was stabbed or scraped with it). (Additionally, Ybab did not know for sure, although he had an inkling that Kryptonians from Krypton reacted differently, to Red K than the descendants of Kryptonians on Nanaton).

However, you see, Ybab did not want to kill Superman, because that, he thought, was too good and too effortless for revenge, and then Superman would not suffer, at least not in the way Ybab wanted him to suffer. Ybab wanted Superman to suffer just as Ybab had been forced to endure under Superman's father and in the ninth dimension, which is partially why Ybab let Superman keep a small part of his adult memory and mind, to be well aware of what was going on but be able to do absolutely nothing about it. Ybab was not expecting the discord that was going to conceal itself in the form of an "commonplace" (no superpowers or super-abilities or famousness) Earth woman who decided to protect the Earth and secretly, silently revolt against Ybab, as she knew that brazen action would bring an immediate failure of stopping him and his horrific plan for her world. She would do her small part on her own, which she did not know at the time would ultimately lead to saving the entire world.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, the remaining Super Friends were starting to become concerned that Superman had been gone for so long and that he had not reported in nor had they even been informed that the child had been saved or lost in the turbulent, dirty lake. It was extremely unusual that Superman would not report in within four hours unless in deep space and that is because of interference. All they knew was that Superman was off to rescue the child in peril who was floating in a stormy lake somewhere in Central Illinois, an area with which no one was too familiar. The only member who had been there once before was now way out in space, the speedster Flash.

(Aquaman was informed of the situation just after Superman left after having renewed himself after his hour out of water.) In addition, Superman could not be located as the apparatus that he used to correspond and be traced by had been destroyed somehow in the water or by being tampered with, or so they thought as strange as it seemed. Little did any of them suspect what the truth actually was, a quiet, small, underground insurgency and insurrection started by a single woman not ready to give up the fight for her abode, her brainpower, her rights, or her independence.

Therefore, the remaining Super Friends left the kids and the animals (Twins, Marvin, Wendy, Wonder Dog and Gleek) to monitor the Hall of Justice while the other senior members of the Super Friends searched desperately for Superman. Batman told the kids that they were to keep a sharp eye on the monitor in case they received any word about Superman or anything else peculiar and to relay it to the other members of the SuperFriends immediately. The Twins stood by the Earth monitor with Gleek while Wendy and Marvin did their best to monitor all the remaining Superfriends. Wonder Dog took a peaceful siesta, or at least as peaceful as he could considering the circumstances. (You see, Marvin and Wendy were helping train Zan and Jayna, too, along with the Super Friends.)

About an hour after the remaining Superfriends left, Marvin and Wonder dog were watching the monitor (as it was their turn) while Wendy helped Zan and Jayna practice their inherited Exxorian transformation powers. Gleek stayed out of the way, in a cage, so he could not cause trouble, especially with his elastic tail, and was happily occupied eating bananas, a relatively new food to Gleek's nutritional regime (that he thoroughly enjoyed) since planet Exxor had no bananas. Gleek always tended to be hungry, but as long as food kept him occupied, at least he could not get into mischief like always when he was distracted.

While Marvin was at the monitor, Wendy worked with the Wonder Twins. Zan and Jayna touched hands and said, "Wonder Twin powers Activate" in response to a scenario that Wendy gave them to respond to. Jayna changed into a Kangaroo while Zan changed into ice cubes. (Jayna has the power to turn into any animal while her Twin brother Zan has the power to take water in any shape or form). It was ok, in Wendy's eyes, but she gently corrected them and gave them tips Batman and Robin had given her and Marvin when they were first starting out. Immediately, Jayna changed into a fly and Zan into a mist. It was better, thought Wendy, at least for the scenario that she had presented them.

Nevertheless, Wendy had to admit that the Twins were getting better by the day and would soon pass up her and Marvin as they lacked any genuine superpowers (other than somehow always managing to get in the middle of the situation or trouble). However, the Twins still looked up to Wendy and Marvin because they had been first, had befriended when they first came to Earth and saved them in a previous adventure, and were more than willing to help the Twins get better. Wendy decided at this point, should it ever come up that she and Marvin would have to leave, she would give her Superfriends charm bracelet (which could call any member or all members depending on which charm was pushed) to Jayna after explaining about how to use it. Although the Wonder Twins power changes were better, it was still up to Wendy and Marvin (as well as the others) to help the Twins get used to the English lingo on Earth (particularly in America).

In the meantime, the remaining Superfriends headed to Decatur, Illinois since that was the last known destination of Superman, specifically the area around Lake Decatur, an artificial, foul lake in the middle of nowhere-ville Illinois. Batman was searching the sky around Lake Decatur in the Bat-Multicraft, after dropping off Robin, while Wonder Woman was flying around the area in her invisible jet, after dropping off Aquaman into the lake. Both were in contact with each other as well as with the two others on the ground and in the lake.

Robin was searching and examining the ground around the lake toward a more forested-type area in search of clues to the disappearance, and Aquaman was searching the great, sullied lake knowing that Superman could be submerged trying to save the baby or possibly Superman could be trapped in the polluted, murky, dangerous waters. Even though Aquaman knew that Superman did not need to breathe underwater, there still could be some problems for him, and that is what Aquaman was determined to find out, as he knew not all the Kryptonite that had fallen to Earth had been located. (Aquaman knew this because he had found large fragments in the oceans and had managed to push them into deep craters where no one would be able to reach them.)

Suddenly, Aquaman found what appeared to be a small drowning child not too far from where Aquaman was searching. He raced to save the youngster as he and Robin were the only ones around that were close enough to be able to rescue the child and the child was too far out in the lake for Robin to reach safely. Using his aquatic telepathy, Aquaman hastily got fish in the lake to hurriedly help take the child to shore where Robin helped the child upon to the beach, which was also near the forested area that Robin had been searching in for clues (just as Ybab had anticipated).

Robin had found shoe impressions in the dirt (which were barely visible) but could not tell exactly how long ago they had been left there because there were so many shoe prints in the area, at least that he could detect. One exceptionally distinct track led to a spot where it stopped, stood, ran toward the Lake and then walked quickly back, definitely heavier than before. It puzzled Robin a bit, but he did not have time to check further due to the "rescued child." Aquaman came out of the water to check on the child because Aquaman really felt a need to check on the child after the child came so close to drowning. Robin was there to help make sure that the child was breathing independently. Maybe this child could give them some information about Superman's disappearance, but the question was: did he see anything and would he tell if he had?

All of the sudden, Robin and Aquaman found themselves getting smaller as well as younger and the child changing, growing older. The "child" introduced himself as Ybab Zero, an escapee from the 9th dimension, who planned to rule Earth by changing people to babies and children or hypnotized parents to raise the children exactly how he wanted them to be raised. As Robin and Aquaman tried to resist regressing, they kept getting smaller and younger maintaining a little of their adult mentality, but still becoming extraordinarily vulnerable and easily influenced. Ybab was exceedingly pleased and even pleasantly surprised that getting to the SuperFriends appeared to be so effortless and that his plan was working so favorably, or so it would appear to him. No one seemed to notice Robin's utility belt sliding off as he shrank, other than a clever onlooker who was waiting for just the right moment to rescue the regressed Superheroes from Ybab's malevolent grasp.

While Ybab Zero was babbling on (with his back toward the regressed heroes) about his age-regressing and hypnotizing mission; bragging about his genuine surreptitious mission; and how no one would be able to stop him; a soft, warm, strong arm wrapped itself around both Aquaman and Robin's small bodies, picking them up with ease and with little resistance from the two young SuperFriends, who, as startled as they were, did not let out a peep. They turned to see a mysterious woman instructing them to be quiet and saving them from the torment of being changed into an actual infant instead of a toddler. She inaudibly led them away from the area into the woods, away from Ybab, after hastily and silently retrieving Robin's utility belt and speedily placing it around her own waist so she could carry the two little ones. She knew that leaving obvious clues behind would bring a swift downfall of the world (or at least to Batman and Robin's crime fighting career in this instance).

They quietly went, as they were too small to resist, although the woman had to put a pacifier into Robin and Aquaman's mouths, specifically Robin's, as he was almost infantile and was scared of what had happened to him and Aquaman, almost to the point of crying. The woman could tell Robin was terrified by the fact that he clung to her so tight that she knew she was going to have a bruise in that particular area, but she knew things would be worse if she did not get the two little SuperFriends out of the situation. Melissa, as we now know her name to be, prayed in her heart that they would make it out of there in time and that the young ones would not be too boisterous when she placed them in their car seats in her Beetle. She held out hope that she could make it safely out of these without Ybab discovering her and her quiet rebellion. Her Christian faith being her only ally (and her strength) at this point, she relied on it quite heavily. She did not know one person who had not been changed by Ybab, at least that was close enough to help her.

It did perk up little Robin and Aquaman quite a bit when they saw a disguised Superman in the car, even though he was regressed (wearing Osh Kosh B'Gosh® clothing) and in a car seat. Superman even perked up a bit at seeing them, though Melissa could perceive in his questioning eyes that he was extremely saddened that they met a similar fate he did. Superman knew well enough not to attempt to break out of the car seat as Melissa had talked to him about a few things prior to coming back here to save the others. The fact that Melissa was carrying them told Superman all he desired (but did not want) to know. She could tell that Superman desperately wished he had been able to preclude the perpetrator before anyone else met the same fate he did, but with the inability to master and control all his outstanding powers at his regressed age and state, he also felt somewhat helpless, vulnerable, and trapped. His more adult mind struggled with his limited childlike body. Rarely had Superman ever felt this helpless, as he gazed directly into Melissa's eyes, as if asking her what was going to happen next and seeking her for the answers that she could not give. Melissa had never felt so alone or determined as she did at this moment, especially in realizing those who typically save the day were now looking up to her to save the day, an enormous responsibility to shoulder, particularly for a young woman who lacked any superpowers or training.

Little Superman could tell that Ybab had left very little of Robin or Aquaman's adult mentality intact, and that saddened him even more. Melissa could tell by Superman's piercing deep blue eyes, which seemed to pierce her to her very core, that she had a lot of work and struggles ahead of her. Her biggest challenge would be trying to explain to the regressed superheroes what was going on, hoping and praying that they would understand. The young ones inaudibly settled in the back seat as Melissa readied the car so that she would be able to escape from Ybab. She had no idea what she was going to do, but she had to try to save these precious heroes. She could only pray that God would give her answers to all of her crucial, significant, urgent questions, including the ones unspoken by her regressed superheroes, especially one who was at the stage where he could barely talk.

They, meaning Aquaman and Robin, recognized Superman instantly, but they did not say anything because Melissa strongly discouraged it to prevent Ybab finding out, since he was still too close for comfort. Robin and Aquaman did not let out a peep, but silently sat in car seats next to the disguised Superman and were happy to be reunited, although the lingering thought between the three of them was how to get themselves back to normal, (hence the elation did not last long). Melissa had lots to think about as she quietly drove toward her quaint apartment while attempting to not get noticed with the three "little ones" all strapped in and hoping she had the means and guts to help them and the world (in her own small way).

This time, though, Ybab Zero noticed that they were gone, but he could not find them, for you see Melissa had done something that could not be traced (she got rid of the things that would lead the others to her "kids" and also since it was a forested area that was dry there were no footprints left to follow unless you were an excellent detective, like Robin. Ybab is not a detective in any sense of the word – hence he left lots of evidence of his delinquencies.)

Ybab's anger raged and burned completely out of control, who on Earth could be doing this to him, he wondered. Is it one of his agents too swiftly on the ball or is it someone rebelling against him? However, Ybab swiftly remembered that if it were an agent of his he or she would have told him and shown him or herself. It must be a rebel! Who dared defy him and his mission!?! Who had avoided his influence? He stormed off to his vessel in order to search for the rebel who dared defy him, but first he had to go check on the progress of his agents. He had been so infuriated that he did not hear a distant car motor start up, as Melissa had figured. Ybab seemed a little less energetic when she was there, but she noticed he just shook it off as if it were a feeling of sleepiness. He had no idea the reason why, but she smiled to herself knowing full well exactly what the reason was. After experiencing this "sleepiness" twice, Ybab figured something was wrong with the contaminated lake and left the area, vowing never to return.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, the kids received a message both from Batman and Wonder Woman that nothing had been found and the kids told Batman and Wonder Woman that Aquaman and Robin had just now disappeared and could not be located, and some other weird things were happening such as people being zombies or becoming toddlers and babies that were snatched up by the zombies. As for Aquaman and Robin, all that the monitor had shown was Aquaman and Robin rescuing the supposed child and bringing the child ashore. Batman was extremely concerned about the news, especially now that Robin had disappeared.

When all of the sudden, Ybab Zero somehow came on the screen in the Hall, in Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet, and in the Bat Multi-craft (as well as every form of media in the United States and around the world) telling of his plan to rule the world. He also told of his taking care of the Super Friends and mentioned that he is searching for the one or ones who stole Superman, Robin and Aquaman from him, and that he is out to get any other SuperFriend who tries to stop him or gets in his way. (He would have never have done this if he had the other Superfriends until he had all of them leaving no chance left to save the world. He had not anticipated that someone would be able to resist him nor did he know he had tapped into the screens telling the remaining Superfriends of his plans). This new threat brought a great sense of urgency to Batman and Wonder Woman, as they knew they could be the next target as well as their young protégés. Unfortunately, most of the world that saw this message was already under Ybab's control and happily cheered in response. (For the normal/regular people of Earth, they had no adult mentality intact when they were regressed).

Batman and Wonder Woman flew hastily back to The Hall of Justice to find out more about this new and creative villain, a kind of villain they had never dealt with before. They knew that if Ybab did not have their friends and was only searching for them, there was still a chance that they were free somewhere on Earth (hopefully), but where? And what had happened to them? Why could they not be located? Moreover, if Ybab carried out his plan, would they be able to find their comrades in time? Would Batman and Wonder Woman as well as the kids be able to stop the villain and rescue their friends before they were caught by Ybab? Or would this be then end of the world as we know it?

Meanwhile, in Melissa's cozy little apartment, Aquaman, Superman, and Robin found themselves in a shared crib, not a huge one but large enough to hold the three of them. Moreover, while Aquaman and Superman were toddlers, Robin was almost an infant, being regressed to an approximate age of 12 months, although he could walk, run and verbalize a few words. It was a very interesting situation, especially with Melissa never having had any kids of her own (yet). However, with the way the world was, it was not usual to see people who never had kids before handling and raising children.

In fact, Little Robin often had to have a pacifier so that he could not inadvertently attempt to blow their cover by practicing certain "new" words, and she had to take away his utility belt (which had fallen off while he regressed) to make sure he did not hurt himself or anyone else. She also to be sure that it would not be stolen and fall into the wrong hands as it also contained many secrets about Batman and Robin that might end their careers if the secrets escaped. Melissa had to regretfully keep them all inside as much as possible so that they would not attract too much attention because if she left them outside too long, they might accidentally use one of their superpowers, be captured by one of Ybab's agents, and be corrupted (leading to the downfall of everything – as that one would give away where the others are).

Melissa needed to deal with their superpowers as well as their multihued costumes, including (and especially) Robin's mask, which she would have to explain using a white lie and/or hide it all together. She knew what to do, cover up their super outfits and attempt to hide their non-conformities, like the fins on the back of little Aquaman's calves. She needed to explain this to the age regressed heroes and hoped that they understood the necessity of the measures and the solemnity of the circumstances, something that almost seemed impossible. With a profound sigh, a vexed heart, and a mystified mind, she hesitantly opened the door that led to the "kids'" room whispering a silent prayer in her trembling heart that she could get the message across and that she could keep these regressed superheroes safe, in essence helping to save the world, someday hopefully.

Aquaman and Superman just looked at her with their large, bright, wondering, questioning eyes as she softly came into the room, wondering what exactly had gone on; why they were the way they were; and where they were. Melissa told them who she was and what she was doing with them; why they were the way they were; and where they were in terms she hoped and prayed that they would comprehend. Moreover, she told them she could do nothing to change them back to their regular ages, but she could hide them if they agreed. Even though they were young, somehow they understood the extremely intricate and bizarre situation, which was dreadfully grave, and were grateful that this person would prohibit them from becoming brainwashed by that malicious tyrant who wanted to rule the whole world. (Superman having the most adult mentality agreed and the other two little ones followed suit since Superman was the unofficial leader of the trio). Robin could not understand quite as well, so he just went along with whatever the older two said.

Melissa told them that neither she nor they would be able to contact their friends and why – Ybab had taken over all communication medium. They were not exactly thrilled with that announcement, but understood the necessity of ceasing contact for now. Melissa felt terrible that she had to tell them to cut off contact, but she told them and knew it was for their own good. Even though they understood, that did not make them happy; in fact, the littlest one became very distraught at that news.

Robin cried quite a bit, as he missed Batman (a father figure to the young Robin) and was terrified of what might happen next. Melissa gently picked Robin up, tenderly cradling him in her warm, gentle, caring arms, and soothingly rocked him, softly reassuring him that they would see their friends again and they would return the proper ages (although she had no idea how, she had to hold out hope for everything – that it would all work out). Robin slowly quieted down, feeling reassured in her warm, comforting arms, comforted by her deep, soothing, resonating, steady voice, and by her sincere warmth and fell into a peaceful sleep curled up and leaning against her sturdy chest wall while Melissa kept explaining to Superman and Aquaman the situation. She reminded them that communication from them could be intercepted and then all might be lost for the world as well as for the age regressed SuperFriends. Additionally, Melissa told them how they needed to act in public to not arouse any suspicion. They (Superman and Aquaman, as Robin was so young that the rules for him were not quite as stringent) behaved as very well behaved children to fit in with how Ybab would run things during the times that they were outdoors and in public, which was rare.

Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice, Batman, Wonder Woman and the kids tried to figure out exactly what is going on and who this strange new fugitive was that was trying to take over Earth. Batman was particularly worried about Robin since Batman had cared for Robin ever since Robin lost his real parents to a murderous mob. In essence, Batman became like Robin's father, and Robin like Batman's son. (Bruce Wayne was awarded legal custody of Dick Grayson after Batman brought The Grayson murder perpetrators to justice. Adoption was deemed not possible by the ruling judge, as Bruce Wayne was a Bachelor). All Batman could do was hope that Robin was safe, wherever he be.

Somehow, the Justice League Computer had one little bit on Ybab Zero. Maybe it came from something that had traveled with little Kal El to Earth, a piece of Kryptonian history that Superman had secretly entered into the computer, thinking it would never be needed but there just in case. The computer spoke of his creative caper against Krypton and his interesting punishment that followed. It shed a completely new light on the current circumstances that was much graver than the remaining Superfriends and their protégés realized.

The crime that Ybab committed was turning most of the Science Counsel members of Krypton (the Counsel that ran Krypton's government so that Ybab could take over the planet) into babies, except Jor El, who saw the whole thing, and managed to escape before Ybab could get to him. Jor El witnessed the regression (that had been caught on DVD for evidence) and then restored the counsel members. (Krypton's science was much more advanced than anything was on Earth). Jor El even left the plans for the mechanism that he built for rescuing the counsel members in Kal El's rocket in case it would be needed in the future – it was simply a Kryptonian Age Changer Machine). After being shown the evidence, they punished Ybab to the ninth dimension, a dimension that was desolate, except for what was barely needed for a prisoner to survive (unless you were a guard, then you had all you needed and more), for 35 years. At 35 years, he would be able to parole out of it, but only if Nanaton agreed to release the prisoner.

(The Kryptonians did not believe in giving the death penalty for any crime, but when Jor El found the phantom zone, most of the dangerous and deadly Kryptonian criminals ended up in there. He also found the ninth dimension, where he, with permission of the invaders home worlds as well as those in the ninth dimension, sent invaders from other worlds.) The intergalactic police had issued a new warrant for Ybab after learning of his reappearance in our dimension and that he was not granted parole from Nanaton, which in fact had just renewed his punishment as he was seen as a serious threat to their society as well as any other society. They had no idea that Ybab had decided to go to the Milky Way Galaxy and wreak havoc on unsuspecting worlds. (Nanaton were also trying to honor Krypton's demise – as they were sister planets – by banning the man who tried to take over both planets, primarily trying to take over Krypton.)

He was not sent to the Phantom Zone because he was not a native Kryptonian, but Nanaton did not want Ybab back and had suggested that he be sent to another dimension to prevent him from the take over of either planet. (Krypton and Nanaton were friendly planets and had a good relationship between them, in fact, Jor El played as the prime minister and communicator between the two planets). Ybab had wanted to rule over Krypton, but the only person smart enough to save the last son of Krypton foiled his despicable plans. (This did not include the shrunken city of Kandor, which is in a bottle in Superman's Fortress of Solitude or the piece that broke off in which Supergirl came from). Hence, his bitterness and hatefulness of Superman and his single-minded goal of taking over the planet where Kal-El lives while changing Kal-El to serve Ybab, which was poetic justice in Ybab's eyes.

(It made an evil smile cross Ybab's face when he thought about the fact that his greatest enemy's son would soon be looking up to him, literally and figuratively. This idea and vision quelled some of his burning rage at being unable to find his quarry. His sinister laugh began as he could tell the world was falling under his control, too easily in his mind, but he was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.)

During his time in the ninth dimension, Krypton exploded, destroying all life on the planet, and Nanaton was partially wiped-out, but not completely destroyed due to its atmosphere having some anti-matter in it (and Nanatonians were not affected by green Kryptonite that Krypton exploded into. Only the few fragments of white that came out of the explosion but they were dealt with almost immediately and not mentioned as part of the history of the blast). Even though Krypton was destroyed, Ybab had somehow learned that Kal El, the only son of Jor El who imprisoned him, had survived the explosion of Krypton (maybe from one of the prisoners who had been sent – or resent – to the phantom zone by Superman). Ybab vowed revenge on the small planet third from its yellow sun, which is where Ybab found out little Kal-El had ended up and grew up. (Ybab was completely unaware that the yellow sun gave him certain "superpowers" and so he did not know that he had x-ray vision and stuff like Superman, hence he did not use them nor did he try to use them).

They all then knew why Ybab chose to come to Earth. The two reasons were dreadfully and painfully obvious, to get revenge on Superman and to rule the Earth since Ybab's plan had been foiled on Krypton before. The reason for choosing Earth first obviously had to do with the fact that Superman lived on that planet. And with the knowledge that the yellow sun would give him more power like Superman, they knew if they did nothing Ybab would easily take over the world. Moreover, they knew that if he were anywhere near as strong as Superman was, they would not be able to face this villain without a secret weapon that really would affect Ybab. They knew Superman's weakness, but did this new villain have a weakness? How could they stop this new villain? Batman and Wonder Woman and the kids knew they had to stop Ybab before he could rule Earth, but how and would they be able to do so in time?

Then the computer told them about the one and only weakness he had, White Kryptonite (of all the luck) and he was extremely sensitive to it. A huge sense of relief came over the worried faces of the remaining SuperFriends as they found this criminal mastermind had a true weakness. However, the relief was only temporary as they learned that the only place in the universe to get this particular type Kryptonite was on a prisoner planetoid near Exxor and that the only people who could go there were criminals or Exxorians that had special permission such as for research or exploration for science and medicine. Exxorians could bring others if it was to protect them or part of their team, but that was it, foreigners were not allowed on the planetoid solo unless they were criminals on Exxor.

Therefore, it was decided that Ybab Zero should be taken care of first to save the world (greatest good to the greatest amount of people) and then find the others to prevent any more Super Friends from becoming babies or toddlers or, even worse, drones made to take care of the kids (and trapped). Therefore, Wonder Woman, Batman and the Twins (and Gleek) left for that distant planetoid while Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog were left to guard the Hall. They hurriedly took off for the distant Nova 12 galaxy, where Exxor was located, as fast as they could to prevent Earth from being completely over run by Ybab. They knew time was of the essence. Especially since almost all of Earth was under the influence of Ybab, a dangerous quandary.

Soon, after the others had left on their imperative mission in the Bat-rocket, the trouble alert came on with no picture, and a disguised, computerized voice with a secretly tricky coded message. The only thing the disguised voice said was "ibwf tvqfsnbo, brvbnbo, boe spcjo – Deck, ILL." This message thoroughly confused and mystified Marvin and Wonder Dog, but Wendy was starting to figure it out and how. She told Marvin to get a piece of paper and pen to write down the mystery code. Instead of writing down, Marvin had the computer print out the code to make sure that he did not misspell any of it, as that could be critical to deciphering the desired message. Marvin then printed it out, and Wendy told him to look at the letters.

Marvin looked at the printout and was completely stumped as the mumbled message made even less sense looking at it on paper, but Wendy told him to solve the first part by replacing the given letters with the letter before, maybe it would make sense that way, since they had tried the letters afterward and had no success of decoding the message. As you see, Batman and Robin's training had paid off, at least in the case of Wendy, who also happened to be the niece of the detective who gave Batman his first job as a detective (which is when Batman actually wore a Robin Costume, but that is another story). Wendy was always the one to figure things out (between Marvin and Wendy) and she pointed out what the note said to Marvin and Wonder dog, both of whom looked on with extreme curiosity.

Then the three elatedly realized that the obscure, cryptic message revealed "Have Superman, Aquaman, and Robin." The last portion was a bit more complicated, as it made little sense. However, Wendy realized it must be Decatur, IL, a small municipality that most people could not find in the heart of the middle of nowhere Illinois. Moreover, since Superman's last known destination (as well as Aquaman and Robin's) was Lake Decatur (the solitary manmade lake in Decatur, IL or anywhere near it), it was the closest thing that they could guess. Additionally, they hoped that in this place they would find the missing SuperFriends (and hopefully unharmed) as well as the anonymous person or persons who had secretly contacted them with the confounding, enigmatic message. The looming question on their brains was, just who was this anonymous person, what did they want with the SuperFriends, and how were they going to find this person in the middle of nowhere Illinois? Little did they know what was going to happen next as they decided to head to Decatur, Illinois.

They all then took off excitedly in a plane and flew speedily there because they knew they were the only ones who could attempt to locate the missing SuperFriends, as everyone else was gone on missions of their own to save the Earth. They knew that they had to locate the missing SuperFriends before the villain did, especially with the possibility that the three missing SuperFriends might have been age regressed or hypnotized, or worse yet, captured and unable to escape. As they walked around the medium-sized Midwestern municipality, they found a woman caring for three small children almost plow into them (the three kids were the Superfriends dressed like children so as to not arouse any suspicion). The woman, holding Robin (not known to anyone else) in a sling across her chest, as he refused to walk and was sound asleep curled up against her soft, warm body, and Superman and Aquaman walking beside her, their hands in hers, (Aquaman was holding a little tippy cup that contained water), asked if they were lost and they said they were. (It is easy for one to be disoriented in a town of 90,000 especially if one has not been there before and is unfamiliar with the area.)

The woman questioned the two about who they were and their names, and they replied Marvin and Wendy and introduced Wonder Dog (the woman knew who they were, but wanted verification before proceeding), and then she asked them to help her with the kids she had in her charge. Melissa carefully, gently, and slowly handed Little Robin to Marvin, who did not recognize him in the royal blue blanket with a hat and sunglasses on, Little Superman to Wendy, who also did not recognize him since he was small and wore pants and without glasses, while Melissa carried Little Aquaman, who was afraid to let go of her and wore baggy pants to hide the fins on the back of his calves. It was an interesting scene to say nonetheless, but it still looked appropriate considering what was going on around the world.

The kids, Marvin and Wendy, failed to notice that the Superfriends were reaching out to them in recognition without giving themselves away; even Wonder Dog did not recognize the little ones (Melissa had altered the scents of the kids a little bit). For we all know that toddlers reach for all kinds of things, so it fit. Little Robin even laughed when held by Marvin, but Marvin just thought the kid liked him, as Little Robin had woken up when he felt the movement of moving between Melissa's warm, soft, strong arms and body to Marvin's bony, wiry arms. Robin was soon fast asleep again against Marvin's warm body (although judging by the amount of fidgeting, little Robin liked Melissa's body better as it was warmer and softer and Melissa's steady heartbeat was more soothing – a more maternal type figure. Additionally, Melissa's low-pitched talking voice, when resonating in her chest, was also more soothing compared to Marvin's high-pitched "squeaky" pubescent voice). Wendy, Wonder Dog and Melissa had a good laugh at that one too. Wonder dog got a little surprise when little Aquaman said "big doggy." All had a good laugh at that one, even the Super "kids."

Melissa led them back to her inviting apartment after making sure that they had no way to be traced or followed and after making sure to fake out all the hypnotized agents (she explained things quickly to Wendy and Marvin so that they behaved well so that they would not be caught on the way back to the apartment. The agents had no idea what Marvin and Wendy looked like, only Ybab did, thankfully). She knew, though, that it was only a matter of time before certain things would not add up and people would start thinking something was wrong with her (according to the standards set by Ybab). Although, Ybab left Decatur and swore not to visit again after he nearly had problems (feeling very weird and strange) near Lake Decatur twice (so Melissa knew she still had a little time).

She invited them into her homey apartment and told them to lock the doors and close all the blinds immediately because she had a secret or two to show them. They quickly closed the shades and did everything to hide from the outside world. First things first though, she checked the Super "Kids" to see if any needed to be changed. Little Robin did and Melissa asked Wendy and Marvin to help her. They were more than willing, although Marvin was slightly hesitant. They noticed a glance of Robin's costume, but thought someone must be playing a trick on them. Little Superman tried to show them who he was by wrestling (as he was told not to fly because he could not control it) with Marvin, but they still thought they were being fooled, even though Marvin knew no baby or toddler could actually be that strong.

Then Melissa finally told them, quietly, whom she really was and what she was doing, particularly with the "children" that she was "caring" for. At first Marvin, Wendy, and Wonder Dog did not believe her as she and the "kids" looked like a single parent headed family, a fairly common occurrence now, even with what they had seen. However, after Melissa demonstrated placing her child in the bath water, and he was breathing being gently submerged without drowning, Wendy started to believe Melissa. For everyone knew that only two people could do that: Superman and Aquaman. To let Marvin and Wendy know who, Melissa put a fish in with the child and looked at the boy to give him the look for him to tell the fish to do something a fish would not do unless commanded. Little Aquaman did, and then the real truth was out.

After the demonstration, though, Little Aquaman wanted to be held by Melissa because he trusted her like she was his mother and he was very shy even though he remembered Wendy and Marvin, barely, but did recognize them. Melissa mentioned that she let little Aquaman take naps and sleep in the tub since he did not remember his hour limit. Melissa also mentioned that sometimes she found little Superman and Little Aquaman sleeping in the tub. Robin was too young and too little to climb out of the crib and so he would cry until Little Superman brought him to join the party and kept him afloat in the water with his friends. Occasionally, though, Melissa would bring little Robin into her room to soothe him as he was always very wary and anxious about all that was going on. Melissa even had a playpen for the occasion when she had to have Robin in her room because he was having a fit of some kind, which tended to happen quite often. Little Robin desired her soothing attention more than the other two, even though Little Aquaman tended to need to be carried often, but not as much as little Robin.

The final thing that made all believe was that Melissa took off the clothes she gave the kids and showed the uniforms that they had on. Little Robin had black face mark where his mask usually sat, which became more obvious after removing the sunglasses and hat. Melissa told them that whenever she went out, she explained that the littlest one would not go anywhere without his mask on and no one asked any questions after Melissa mentioned that he had medical reasons to wear it, besides she put him in sunglasses and a hat usually too along with a pacifier in his mouth.

In fact, Marvin even mentioned that he had been fooled when Melissa handed little Robin to him, the royal blue blanket made Robin look more like a baby boy with a birthmark than Robin. Melissa even went to get something and returned to show them Robin's regular utility belt that was still the size Robin should be and had fallen off when he regressed and shrank and she hid it. She told them she hid it for two reasons: to prevent discovery of the kids and so that the "kids" would not be hurt.(FYI, when the SuperFriends were age regressed, their clothing and outfits shrunk with them and if they ever get bigger, the outfits will grow with them, but will they ever return to their grown up ages???). Melissa quickly ran out of the room again to hide the belt before rejoining her company.

Wendy and Marvin were worried because Melissa told then what happened and that she was very careful. She also told them to stay put because if they were seen leaving here, they could give everything away and then the "babies" would be in the hands of someone who would corrupt them, as well as Wendy and Marvin would be taken. You see, she told them, they were made to go down to a very influential stage where they look up to those who care for them as to how they are supposed to act. She explained that Ybab wanted to take over by making changes in the way people grew up so that he could become the leader without having problems, as those who were raised in Ybab's way would never know that things were not the way they should be nor would they know they have freewill to choose. Marvin and Wendy as well as Wonder Dog stayed put, not wanting to risk the tiny Super Friends' lives, their lives, nor the lives of those on Earth. Melissa had told them that they were fortunate that Ybab had not found them yet even though he knew they were close friends of the Superfriends.

Marvin and Wendy did not mention the fact that Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Twins were off on a mission to stop Ybab to make sure to protect them because Melissa mentioned that even the walls have ears. In addition, they wondered how Melissa knew so much about the plans if few knew about this new villain and if this was not a trap. However, after seeing how she interacted with the young SuperFriends, they decided that she was not conspiring with Ybab, but were still confused about how she knew the plans, but they dare not ask in order to protect the Super Friends, Melissa, and themselves.

Therefore, Marvin and Wonder Dog got a chance to play with the Super "kids" since that was what little Robin and Superman wanted to do. Little Superman had been told not to fly around too much and not to lift heavy things because that would give him away (as well as some of his other powers and because he could not control them very well at his regressed age), at least not to do that in public. Aquaman had been told not to talk to fish too much because that would give him away, at least in the sense of making them do something out of the ordinary. Both agreed, although they really wished they could use their powers and stop what was going on.

Little Robin did not have much to say, although Melissa had quite a time trying to explain that this "kid's" first word was "Holy". Melissa's explanation had to do with the fact the young one had gone to church with her for a while and had picked it up. It was a breath of fresh air though that Robin could not say any of his "wonderful" puns. Wendy and Melissa talked while little Aquaman sat in Melissa's lap. Melissa told Wendy that Ybab Zero did not change all the people to babies because he had to have some adults to raise them, but those adults were hypnotized to raise the babies exactly how Ybab wanted them to be raised. For you see while he wanted to raise them a certain way, he did not want to have all the responsibilities of caring for his regressed prisoners, so he got help from hypnotized agents. Although, while chatting with Wendy, Melissa realized that little Aquaman wanted down and little Robin had crawled over, bawling and wanting to be held and comforted. Therefore, Melissa set little Aquaman down, and as he ran off, she picked up little Robin and quickly soothed him. Little Robin, feeling safe and secure in her arms, quickly calmed down and started to settle down. Little Robin leaned against Melissa's warm, soft chest and fell asleep quickly in her strong yet gentle arms.

Meanwhile, Ybab had no idea about Melissa, the insurgent woman, or her taking of the Super "Babies." He looked all over the globe but still could not find the Super babies he had created. It filled him with a boiling rage, especially when he had found out that neither he nor any of his hypnotized henchmen had Superman, the very crux of his plan. He could not believe that neither Superman nor any of his regressed friends could be located! It just could not be!!! He went over the Earth repeatedly, but still no sign of the (what he called) "Super Brats." Where in the world could they be? And how could they hide so well? (Ybab had no idea that the Superfriends had secret identities. He thought they wore there hero outfits all the time and stood out all the time.)

However, Melissa knew when things were safe and how to fake out other people and had the children behave in public exactly like they were supposed to. Ybab never thought that an innocent inhabitant would be able to defy his powers, do anything about him, and he figured that all would be easily taken over by him, but Melissa had something inside her that blocked his effects on her, it was her Christian faith and hope that made her immune. Plus some special concoction made by Melissa's friend, which was not any type of magic, but a special protection juice that was made on the planet of Nanaton that would block any powers that a person coming from there to Earth would have.

In fact, it had to be placed in a lead glass as the person bringing it to Melissa had a severe weakness to White Kryptonite, which was the biggest ingredient in the concoction. (In consumption, it took many weeks to digest. Since it is harmless to Superman, no one knew it was there and it would stay in the blood stream until it had all digested and been fully excreted which took at least 5 weeks (minimum in a human, less time in a Kryptonian), if not longer, and it would not harm any normal flora and fauna from Earth). It could affect a little of the helpful flora and fauna in Superman's body if swallowed, but no real damage (if he would take it, the benefits outweighed the cons). Since she had saved a little extra, she gave some to the Super "kids" as well as Wendy and Marvin. She convinced them that is was something that they needed to drink without having to tell any of them anything.

She knew it would not hurt Superman either, although she could tell he suspected something by the challenging and questioning look etched on his small, puzzled, inquisitive face. She took Superman aside from the others and, in private, gently explained a few things to him before she gave him the juice as it might have a not so nice affect on him. (Remember, Superman was left with more of his adult thought process intact than Aquaman or Robin). He reluctantly agreed to take it, knowing it could affect his body a little, but it was better than the alternative (which was to be under Ybab's influence). Now Melissa was at least sure that it would be much more difficult to fight her if Ybab found her. She had even saved enough of the solution that should he approach her, she could use the amount she always kept in a lead cross necklace hung around her neck to stop him.

However, another thing that was unknown to the members of the SuperFriends was that Melissa had sworn to her friend that gave her the concoction, who was the sister of Ybab, who had flown to Earth after hearing her brother's crazy scheme, which Melissa would try to stop Ybab as best she could. Melissa had befriended the sister when the sister had gotten lost in Decatur after crashing her ship and Melissa stated that she would do what it takes to put a stop to Ybab's sinister plans. Ybab's sister gave Melissa the concoction just before the sister was supposed to head back to Nanaton.

Ybab's sister never made it back to her home planet as she died on her way back to her secret ship after revealing the whole scope of Ybab's plan to Melissa. She had been killed by someone who supposedly mistook her for a stalker, or maybe it was one of Ybab's henchmen, no one knew although Melissa had a suspicion. Melissa solemnly buried her new friend in a place the friend really loved by keeping her ashes in a small brightly-colored urn kept on her shelf which reminded Melissa of how much Ybab's sister loved the bluish-green waters of Earth.

Meanwhile, The Twins, Batman and Wonder Woman were granted special permission to land on the Special prison planetoid near Exxor, named Enron (it was five light years away from Exxor, too far for criminals to reach). There, they had to be careful as it was not always easy to tell the criminals from the trustworthy guards. Batman and Wonder Woman were attacked as Zan, Jayna and Gleek set off to go find the white Kryptonite. They found it, but as they were reaching for it, a giant creature showed up. Zan and Jayna used there powers to fight it as Gleek slowly slid down and retrieved a piece of white Kryptonite, which for some reason was an extraordinarily light weight Kryptonite (as was mentioned previously) and Gleek had grabbed a bigger piece than they had planned by accident, though no one knew it at the time.

The Twins eventually beat the horrendous beast and headed back to help save Batman and Wonder Woman from their attackers. As the twins arrived, they noticed that Batman and Wonder Woman had been brainwashed and were being held captive by criminals that the Twins had sent to this prison planetoid themselves. It was eerie for the twins to see the vacant stares of the two heroes they looked up to, but the twins knew what they had to do. The Twins came up with a plan to rescue the captured Superfriends, as they knew the heroes were required to get back to Earth and help save the world. Gleek distracted the criminal "guards" while the Twins rescued the others, shook them out of their trance, and then they headed back for Earth as fast as they could in the Bat-rocket.

As they reached the Hall of Justice, they found the other set of kids mysteriously gone and the coded message paper lying on the floor upside-down, obviously blown down by someone leaving in a major, excited rush. Batman and Wonder Woman swiftly decoded the message and still were a little befuddled, but they knew that the first thing they had to do was send Ybab Zero back to where he belonged, in the ninth dimension. Therefore, Wonder Woman and Batman took off for the White House, where Ybab Zero had set himself up as Emperor of the World after changing many people to babies or his helpers to corrupt them (raise them in the way Ybab wanted things to be run). Unknown to Batman and Wonder Woman, The Twins went to the capital as well, to back up the other two. Moreover, since Batman had easily split the White Kryptonite in half, the Twins had a chunk to save the day in case the others failed. The Twins were the last hope, should they fail after Batman and Wonder Woman – the Earth would be doomed.

Once at the Capital, Batman and Wonder Woman attempted to sneak into the White House, both acting like the hypnotized agents they had observed on their way over to the White House. However, the attempt did not deceive Ybab at all, and he immediately regressed the two heroes and protectors of justice. When Batman and Wonder Woman wound up as toddlers, they were saved by Gleek and the Wonder Twins. The Wonder Twins (who just happened to be one set of "Super Friends" that Ybab did not know about, hence they were the "wrench" thrown in his plans) then came in and saved the day by exposing Ybab Zero to a huge chunk of white Kryptonite. (It was too big to just send him back, it was big enough to exile him from Earth forever as well as deplete most of his power). In fact, the chunk made Ybab acutely ill, as he was highly sensitive to the White K, unlike most Nantonians, even those who had intermingled with the Kryptonians).

It was an extremely advantageous scheme that the Twins followed along to save the day. As Ybab Zero vanished, The Wonder Twins had a whole world of babies to deal with, as getting rid of Ybab did not get rid of the spell he had placed on the people as the science that was used was beyond what was on Earth except for a few machines that Superman had built in the Hall of Justice. They picked up little Batman and little Wonder Woman who were falling asleep (as it was naptime for most kids at this time) and went to the Hall of Justice, Zan carrying the young and sleeping Batman and Wonder Woman while Jayna provided the means of transportation with Gleek tagging along beside Zan on Jayna's back so that they would able to restore Batman and Wonder Woman quickly. Although, it was not quick enough to avoid one of Zan's "Robin-esque" comments on the situation, to which the youthened Superfriends actually laughed at.

Swiftly, The Twins reached the Hall of Justice. Once in the Hall, both Batman and Wonder Woman were gently placed on a special device that returned them to their normal ages. (A machine that had been built by Superman for use in case they needed to change their ages for some reason). Both heroes suddenly woke with a quick jerk, not noticing the fact that they had just "re-grown up". As they rose, the twins told Batman and Wonder Woman what had happened, but they did not believe the Wonder Twins when told that they were regressed. However, the Justice League's Computer recorder confirmed Zan and Jayna's story by showing Batman and Wonder Woman that they were just carried in by Zan and Jayna as sleeping toddlers and being placed on the portable age rejuvenator. (This machine returned them to their normal ages but would not work on Superman or Aquaman due to their special powers especially not outside the Hall of Justice, at least not without some help). After that, Batman and Wonder Woman believed the Twins. Then it was time to find the others, after saving the rest of the world by returning people to normal.

While Batman and Wonder Woman set out with the Wonder Twins to reset the ages of people and to shake trances, Melissa, Marvin, Wendy, and Wonder Dog were still under the impression that Ybab Zero was still out there remaining at large and so they remained in hiding. When Batman and Wonder Woman finished returning the world to normal, they met the Twins at the Hall of Justice to figure the note out left by the other set of kids. While the kids had not left exactly where they were going, Batman figured out the clues easily (once he had an opportunity to scrutinize the message), he realized where the kids must be, and he figured that they might be in considerable danger, especially in a town known in Illinois to be a not so great city, and it was kind of dumpy too. Then they headed to Decatur, Illinois and split up, but how were they supposed to find the kids and the person who sent the coded message in a town that was so remote yet fairly large?

Heading into the heart Central Illinois (farmland and flatland USA), Wonder Woman searched from the sky in her transparent plane, while Batman and the twins drove around the town in the Bat-Multi-craft. Little did they realize just how close they were to finding the others, and not just Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog, but the rest of the age-regressed SuperFriends and the mysterious person responsible for the coded communication. The person responsible for saving the Superfriends, as well as upsetting Ybab's plans by keeping the regressed Superfriends causing Ybab to disclose his campaign in an attempt to ferret out who had taken his age-regressed captives.

Melissa heard a car outside and told all the kids to scramble and hide while she looked out to see exactly what was going on around the building. No one questioned her, and all went to hiding. The Super "kids" went to where they always hid and showed Marvin, Wendy and Wonder Dog where the special "spot" was. When Melissa saw Batman and the Twins cruising around in the Bat multi-craft, she told Marvin, Wendy, and Wonder Dog to go out and investigate things to make sure that things were secure while she protected the "kids" and to make sure that this was not a trap or a decoy.

Wendy and Marvin did not talk back, but did what they were told. Melissa showed them the secret way out of her place. She sent them because if necessary, she knew that they could lead the imposters away (if this was a ruse) and get away unharmed. In a few minutes, the kids (Wendy and Marvin) were flagging the Bat multi-craft down near the apartment complex. Batman questioned the kids to see if they were telling the truth and the kids asked the questions Melissa had told them to ask to make sure things were safe and that this was the true Batman and not just a hoax.

After exchanging third degrees, Batman and the twins parked the Batmulti-craft and headed toward the small, welcoming residence. Melissa let them in after Marvin and Wendy confidently reassured her that everything was safe and sound. In addition, after Batman and the Twins reassured her that Ybab was gone for good. Melissa gradually opened the door, while holding little Aquaman in her arms.

Little Superman and Little Robin were fast asleep in the playpen on the floor. Batman and the Wonder Twins even failed to recognize their friends until Melissa let them peak under the "kids' " clothes and see the costumes of the Superfriends. Batman was still unsure and he wanted to test little Aquaman and Superman to see if this was true. To Batman's great surprise, Melissa was right as little Superman flew up to see what was going on (a little shaky, but a good attempt) and little Aquaman was asking for water and appeared a little drowsy. Robin woke up, screaming and so Melissa quickly set little Aquaman down and rushed to scoop up little Robin to reassure him. After she calmed Robin down, she set him down on the floor and went to pick up little Aquaman again.

Batman asked how Melissa had done all this and why (to protect the Superfriends and to do her small part to save the world). She told them and they were proud of her, but Batman was a little upset that she would take such a substantial risk and not tell the Superfriends anything. Batman, you see, is especially protective of Robin. Wendy and Marvin told them to give Melissa the benefit of the doubt, as she had done it to protect Robin as well as the other two.

Clear communication between them and the SuperFriends might have been intercepted as Ybab had control of all the communication medium and all might have been lost Melissa said, and Batman relented, and was happy to see that other than regression to an infantile state and size, his ward had been completely unharmed, and had been very well taken care of. In fact, Batman could not help but laugh looking at little Robin asleep on the rug, almost like a father looking at his new infant son. As Robin had never been that young when Batman met him, Batman had a tear in his eye as he remembered Robin's real parents and how much they must have loved him. It was one of the few times that Batman poignantly remembered the calamity that brought Robin into Batman's life, a magnificent blessing out of a dire tragedy.

Zan and Jayna, on the other hand, just stood there, mouths agape. They were absolutely shocked at seeing the three Superheroes who they looked up to looking up at them. The heroes that they were so used to looking up to were now small enough to look up to the Wonder Twins, although all could tell that Superman was a bit more with it than the other two. (Little did anyone realize at this time that Melissa would do things that had severe risks without asking for help even if she really needed it.)

Melissa was absolutely elated to hear that Ybab plans were foiled yet again and that he was gone, sent back to the prison world where he belonged, with one change. Now Ybab would have several guards with him to make sure that he does not escape again (and his powers were severely weakened by the exposure to the White Kryptonite). Melissa, in response, smiled over at a special place and knew in her heart that Ybab's sister would be proud of her and the Superfriends. "But," she said, she wanted to get a picture with the little Superfriends before they grew up.

Batman told her that was fine, as Wonder Woman had to get Blue Kryptonite in order to change Superman, something from the sea for Aquaman, and something precious for Robin in order to get them back to normal. (Since they were Super Heroes, they could not be changed by normal means and they were not in the hall of Justice). Additionally, Batman said that Melissa would need proof for the three SuperFriends, as none would believe the story 100 percent without proof. Melissa had Wendy and Marvin take several pictures of her with the Superfriends, individually and with the group, even one of her holding little Robin.

While Melissa chatted with Batman and company, Gleek found that he was being climbed on by little Robin. In addition, little Superman flew up to Batman's height for a "better" view of the cowl-ed man. Little Aquaman kind of just stood around (near Melissa) and watched the excitement, not quite sure how to respond to the company and increase of excitement and not realizing that his energy was starting to decrease as his hour limit was rapidly approaching, although Melissa knew and was waiting for just the right time.

After returning from her extensive trips, Wonder Woman hastily came to the apartment after being contacted by Batman that the others had been found and where. She had to walk a ways, as she could not land her invisible jet near the apartment building due to the much-forested nature of the area. She saw the little ones and how Melissa had cared for them. It seemed that she carried Aquaman a lot, but the reply Melissa gave them was that he wanted to be held the most. The others wanted to explore. After giving them a demonstration, they saw it was true. Although (they did not know this) it did not hurt that Aquaman was Melissa's favorite Superfriend due to his blond hair and blue eyes (although Melissa hated swimming especially since she looked horrible in a swimsuit, hence she did not own one).

However, the time came when the regressed SuperFriends needed to be returned to normal size and age. Gleek was trying to escape little Superman and finally just jumped into Zan's arms, hoping to be left alone, although with Superman's capability to fly, it was not as easy to be left alone as it was with Robin, although as previously mentioned, Superman did not have as much control over his flight power as he usually did. As much as little Aquaman did not want to be set down, Melissa placed him on the floor next to the sleeping little Robin who had tired after unsuccessfully trying to crawl on top of Gleek, and finally little Superman flew over to the others after receiving correction on flying over from Melissa and Batman.

Therefore, Melissa hugged the kids one last time before Wonder Woman exposed them all to the small amount of blue Kryptonite as well as the other objects to get all three of them back to normal age, or at least provided means so that the age machine could bring the regressed heroes back to normal. It was now or never to see if the machine would return them to normal. Everyone held his or her breath as the machine was turned on and anxiously waited to see the results.

Slowly but surely, Robin, Aquaman, and finally Superman came back to their regular ages, still dressed in the childhood clothing that Melissa had placed on them that morning not knowing that this is what the day would bring. Melissa just smiled as a tear welled up in her eye. Superman and Aquaman looked down at themselves and asked "How did we get into these? (Curious as to how they had gotten into Osh Kosh B'Gosh® clothing)." Robin, who still had the pacifier in his mouth and was asleep on the floor with a Teddy Bear, woke up and spit out the pacifier and threw the stuffed animal across the room, wondering what exactly had happened. Robin's mask became more of a mask and less of a birthmark as he was returned to his normal age.

"Holy Age Regression, What happened?" inquired Robin.

Therefore, Melissa told the entire story in detail to all of the Super Friends, including the all the junior SuperFriends. Before telling the story, though, she ran to the other secret spot, brought out Robin's utility belt, and returned it to him (it had been hidden under her clothes the whole time although no one knew since she was slightly overweight). Robin gave her a strange look (hoping and praying that she had not gone through it), but she said that she would explain in story why she had his utility belt. Robin, as well as all the others, learned at this time that Melissa was only in her early to mid twenties, although she acted much older (and with quite a maternal, protective instinct, which Batman thought was an exceptionally beneficial feature especially considering what had happened).

As the SuperFriends listened attentively, they were amazed and astonished at the risks she took, and they were proud that there were people like that out in the world, especially someone who had no superpowers of any kind other than a heart and willingness to protect others and her world. However, Superman, Aquaman, and Robin did not believe that it had happened to them even to the point of denying and refusing to believe it. Superman and Aquaman remembered some of the things that happened when they were young, like the crib and the bathtub, but not much else. They were all in true denial that the whole thing really happened.

Superman thought the situation was mostly Red Kryptonite- induced dream state that he was in. Robin thought Melissa was just plain nuts and that she was just making the story up. Aquaman, however, was not really sure what to make of it. Melissa excused herself for a second to get rid of the rest of the White Kryptonite juice/concoction that was in her necklace and did not want to do it in front of Superman due to something else she safely kept in her necklace in case of emergencies. (Melissa even mentioned about the drinking of White Kryptonite and that it would take a little while to be excreted, but would not stay forever. Superman said that he felt a little funny and attributed to the fact that even he drank the White Kryptonite).

All wanted proof of what Melissa was telling them and hearing it from the others was not enough, especially not for Robin and Aquaman. Superman, however, was a little more inclined to believe the story as he was the one who still had quite a bit of his adult mind trapped in the childish body. Melissa was smart in the fact that she had lots of digital pictures and video to show them as proof.

Aquaman finally said, "So, Super Friends, do you think she could make a good Ally?"

And, Superman responded, "If she accepts it." Melissa responded with an incredibly enthusiastic, sincere, and grateful yes.

After the rest of the Super Friends and junior SuperFriends left the apartment and headed back to the Hall of Justice, Aquaman stayed behind as he wanted to see all the evidence Melissa had collected of this strange and unnatural happening, all of it no matter how trivial or embarrassing it seemed. He needed concrete proof of this unnatural and unnerving situation. He would not leave until he saw what happened, as the story sounded so fantastic. He was just that hard headed and stubborn that he would not and could not wait to see all the proof to find out exactly what had happened. Besides, he felt a bit too weak to leave just yet and was not sure as to why he felt weak and getting weaker by the moment.

The first thing to do though, Melissa knew, was throw water on Aquaman and temperature did not matter, because he was unaware that his hour of being away from water was nearly up, as he had just changed back into his adult self and was still unsure of his actual strength and adjusting to the change. Melissa ran to get a large glass of cold water and threw it at Aquaman who looked at her weirdly at first and then realized his body was regaining its genuine normal strength, and Aquaman thanked Melissa for throwing the water at him, even though it was a bit cold, even for his taste. Amidst all the commotion that had just happened, he had not realized how close he was to his hour limit out of water. Of course, after coming back from a time when Melissa was watching the time, it was not too surprising.

Melissa was more than willing to show him all the proof he needed, although she was not exactly sure he wanted to see himself be as dependent on her as he was when he was regressed to his young age. Melissa gave him a big friendly hug, and Aquaman responded in kind, holding back some so he did not crush her, as he now remembered his full strength and potential. Additionally, remembering that she was only human and could be easily hurt by his strength that had been gained by swimming at depths that would kill a human as well as fighting all kinds of currents. He was not King of the Seven Seas for no reason.

Melissa and Aquaman became good friends; even though Aquaman knew about how he acted during the time he had been regressed. He was just glad that she had prevented him from being corrupted by Ybab or one of his hypnotized henchmen. Aquaman also knew that even though Robin and Superman were not willing to blatantly admit it, Melissa took a severe personal risk by taking the regressed Superfriends in and caring for them to prevent them from being corrupted as well. In addition, the surprising thing, at least to Aquaman, Superman, and Robin, was that she never asked for anything in return, but she did form lasting friendships out of the ordeal with the SuperFriends and the junior SuperFriends.

Aquaman and Melissa continued to tease each other about this adventure (as well as others) and even Robin and Superman joined in the act after those two had seen what went on, and all had a hearty laugh session to the point where it was hard to tell if it all was laughter or crying. The jokes do not stop even to this day as the three Superfriends all have helped Melissa out of trouble (Robin with and without the help of Batman and/or the Teen Titans) as well as vice versa. Robin gave Melissa the hardest time, but Melissa had things to tease him with and it was a fun time. Robin and Melissa were actually about the same age, and Melissa did not know that Robin liked Melissa now, nor did either know that the feelings were mutual.

Melissa rescued Robin once when she found him unconscious after being left for dead after attempting to fight a villain, who was later caught by Batman and Superman. She revived him with her excellent nursing skills and informed Batman of what had happened (as well as the Teen Titans because she did not know at the time which one he was on the case with). Robin was very grateful of Melissa's quick actions that saved his life (and was even more grateful that she did not reveal anything about him that she knew. She proved herself by not revealing any secrets that she knew, including his identity. In fact, she prevented the EMTs from removing his mask and rode with him in the ambulance to make sure that nothing happened.) When Robin woke up in hospital, Melissa let him know what happened and what she did and that he would be all right. Robin was very grateful and liked Melissa all the more. (These feelings had started ever since Melissa took Robin and Aquaman in when they were regressed). Melissa was starting to like Robin at this point, though she was not sure exactly how he felt, so she kept her feelings to herself.

Robin saved Melissa after Melissa accidentally saw a crime committed, and she was one of two witnesses that required special protection. Robin came to her rescue when the bad guys kidnapped her and would most certainly have done her in if not for Robin's quick thinking. (Batman protected the other witness). Robin told Batman about everything and eventually, Melissa testified and Robin, in his secret identity, came to the proceedings to make sure all went well. It was a good thing too, because Melissa was almost attacked on her way out of the courthouse.

In fact, Melissa was given a special watch alarm since she was an honorary junior SuperFriend, kind of like Jimmy Olsen's watch, except that this watch had three switches: one for Superfriends meetings, one for emergency meetings, and one for emergencies. The reason she was given a watch as opposed to charms like the other kids is that Melissa lived much farther away from the hall and the Superfriends in general. Melissa wanted to make sure that she earned the title of honorary Junior SuperFriend and so she helped in every way possible and went through training with the other protégés. Her tests came in many forms, and she passed with flying colors, so far. Unknown to Melissa, the watch also had a tracking device that could be activated be the Superfriends, should it be necessary. Little did the SuperFriends (and the JLA) know how necessary that tracking device would wind up being, nor how grateful they would be to have that put in the watch.

Aquaman and Melissa went on a few adventures together and Aquaman managed to save Melissa quite a few times as well as vice versa, although it was hard for Melissa to lift Aquaman back into the sea when he needed it, so sometimes she would just take a pail of water and dump it on him. Aquaman never seemed to mind getting drenched by Melissa; after all, he had a 1-hour limit to be out of the water.

It seemed that Melissa got in more trouble more often than the other way around (figures, doesn't it?). Melissa occasionally had to contact Aqualad and Mera, Aquaman's wife, for help with Aquaman when it was Melissa rescuing Aquaman (or occasionally the SuperFriends). Aquaman and Mera even let Melissa be their babysitter for Arthur Junior, when Aqualad was busy. It took a bit of finagling as Aquaman and Mera lived underwater and Melissa could not live underwater, but it worked out the times it needed to which made Aqualad incredibly joyful as now he could more often go on call with the Teen Titans or do things with his friends.

Superman and Melissa helped each other out a few times as well. In fact, Melissa saved Superman once when she spotted that someone was going to shoot Kryptonite ray gun at him. She grabbed some nearby lead and threw it to Superman. In addition, another time when Melissa found Superman down on the ground and two feet away was Green Kryptonite, Melissa took it and hauled away as fast and as far as she could before it could kill Superman. Superman recovered in time to catch the bad guys but did not know that it was Melissa who got rid of the Kryptonite until later as no one was in sight when Superman recovered and thereby caught the escapees. He only knew because Melissa had been injured by carrying the heavy rock. Melissa always kept a small piece of Green K in a necklace in a lead cross necklace that she wore all the time, just in case it would ever be necessary. (The SuperFriends were not made aware of this until Melissa guarded Superman when he lost his memory after exposure to Red Kryptonite – which the Superfriends found out about after it happened).

In addition, Melissa was there a few times when Superman made some thoroughly bizarre changes from Red Kryptonite. In fact, one of those times, Superman lost his memory of who he was completely but fortunately, Melissa was right there as it happened and before anyone else realized it, she flew with Superman (after talking to him privately and taking 10 minutes to convince him that he could fly) to the Hall of Justice sickbay and stayed with him for 72 hours until the crippling effect finally wore off. She even had to pin him down with a small amount of Green K that she had in a necklace to make sure he would not disappear or leave when she occasionally slept. She would never have done this if it was not absolutely necessary. She knew it would be worse and more dangerous should the wrong people discover his memory loss and use his power to do awful, terrible things or get a hold of his secret identity and take care of the people he cared for most.

Superman was very thankful to say the least, (after she released him from the Green Kryptonite – a small piece in a necklace – and got rid of it). She even had the confused Superman call his Clark Kent robot (who obeyed readily and fortunately did not get in any trouble) into service to protect Superman's other secret identity. (Eventually, Superman had to wake Melissa up by stumbling over to her and almost collapsed on her to get her to take off the green k as she had put it on a special way, which she gladly and swiftly took off once he proved the effects of the Red k wore off. Once it wore off, Superman sent his robot a message to go back to the fortress now that Superman was back).

A different time, Superman was changed into Melissa's twin (a twin who had superpowers) and Melissa had to hide him for a few days. At least these things could only happen once, and Superman was very grateful for that. He knew that he could allow her to help him when he needed it. Melissa told Superman that she knew who he was and promised that she would never reveal the secret. (She had figured it out when she had him call his robot when he lost his memory.) Superman was grateful for that, too. She had proven herself with Robin, so Superman knew that she would not reveal his secret. Once when one of Superman's foes captured Melissa, she refused to tell the secrets she knew – she played dumb. In fact, the enemy did not even know that Melissa knew anything of the Superfriends other than she was associated with them.

Once Melissa goofed and accidentally made Superman too strong by changing the yellow sunlight over head to blue over Superman with a light filter, although it helped Superman defeat the enemy he was fighting (although a little too well). Nevertheless, as was mentioned before, Superman helped Melissa out of a jam more often than vice versa, especially the one time a criminal shoved Melissa out of a 10th floor window and she almost died. She had been on an assignment that the SuperFriends did not know about yet in Decatur and the only reason that Superman came to save her is that she activated her honorary SuperFriend emergency button on her watch. Batman, Superman, and even her friend Aquaman (heck, even Robin bugged her about it because he did not want to see her get hurt or killed) gave her a stern talking to after that scary escapade, but Melissa did get information that led to the capture of the culprits by the SuperFriends.

Melissa later apologized and said that she would attempt to not put herself in danger as much next time, but once the SuperFriends dropped Melissa home; they had a serious discussion regarding Melissa's curiosity amongst themselves. While she was a great asset and she helped them catch a number of criminals and such, her curiosity and eagerness to help often put her in situations (some of them quite dangerous) that she should never have tried to tackle alone. Even Robin, Marvin, Zan, and Wonder dog knew when to call for back up, although Marvin was slightly better than Melissa was when it came to this. Then with Marvin, Wendy and Wonder dog always accompanied him.

With the discussion that ensued, they decided that from that point on (and completely without Melissa's knowledge or approval), the SuperFriends and the JLA would watch her a little more closely as they finally noticed that she had a bad habit of tackling things without asking for help until she was in too deep and way over her head, or not realizing she was getting into such trouble. Even Robin, Zan, and Marvin could not believe how much trouble Melissa's curiosity got her into in her daily life, when she let her curiosity get the best of her. (She did not, however, create as much trouble as Gleek, but being human, Melissa knew better than to do that.) The SuperFriends and the Justice League of America were constantly monitoring her when nothing else took up there time. It also surprised them how much she blended into the background in her everyday surroundings. She seemed invisible to most people. In fact, had they not met her and knew what she looked like, they might have lost her while attempting to monitor her.

Even the Twins, Wendy, and Marvin (along with the animals) watched over her. Marvin and Zan (along with Gleek and Wonder Dog) even saved her one time, but that is another story. Melissa slowly got better about not getting into situations that put her life in terrible danger where the only thing that could save her was reluctantly calling the SuperFriends, but she is still working on it. Last that was heard of her was that Green Lantern and Aquaman had to rescue her from a very bizarre and twisted situation, but that is an entirely different story, and not her fault. And in another story (that will not be told here), it took all the Superfriends and the JLA to rescue her, but that was not Melissa's fault as she was taken from her own apartment by the Legion of Doom one night unexpectedly, one of Lex Luthor's oh-so-brilliant ideas to put an end to the Superfriends and the JLA. All I can say is that Lex and the Legion of Doom failed – for truth and justice will always overcome evil and injustice.

Aquaman and Robin eventually introduced Melissa to the rest of the SuperFriends (Justice League of America) such as the Atom, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, The Flash, Plasticman, Elongated Man, The other Teen Titans (Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Wonder girl), Supergirl, as well as a few others, the mighty heroes of justice. Mera, Aquaman's wife, was not threatened by Melissa nor her presence as Melissa made it clear that she was not going to come between them (besides, Melissa told Mera that Aquaman was too old for her and that Aquaman's love for Mera was plainly obvious and Melissa was not one to step in between two true loves). In fact, Melissa told Mera that Melissa did not like to swim much but she would be willing to help if needed. Additionally, Melissa told Mera that Melissa thought that Robin might like her and she might like him. In addition, to this day, Melissa helps the all Superfriends at times, and so ends the tale of the age regression thief.


	2. Chapter 2

Forget me not

It was only about a week or two, maybe a little later but not by much, after the Superfriends had first been introduced to Melissa that it happened, a bizarre unforeseen predicament with an even more atypical resolution. The world had recently returned from being youthened to being normal, and business as usual was just starting to resume worldwide. People, in general, had no clue that the world had just been threatened and saved from the last big escapade. Everyone went milling about and minding his or her own business, as was the usual way and custom. As they say, time waits for no one.

No one was prepared for the small amount of craziness that ensued, but all did what they needed to do to save the day, including Melissa, which no one had expected or anticipated. A bombshell was in store for all involved and concerned. Since Melissa was now a new honorary member of the Superfriends, they had decided that she needed to be trained in the ways of crime solving and crime fighting as well as staying in shape (which is where Melissa had a bit of trouble as she was a bit overweight and out of shape – though she was trying extraordinarily hard to get back into shape for her own health and wellbeing).

Although, technically, she was still a crime-fighter in training and learning as she went, she surpassed all expectations when she helped Superman during a time that would have caused immense pandemonium had she not stepped in and stepped up to the plate. (The thing is though; Melissa just considered it to be helping a friend in need, even if that friend was a Superfriend). This is one of Melissa's favorite stories regarding Superman, although he is not too fond of it (surprise, surprise). Superman does not enjoy what Kryptonite (whatever color it is) can do to his body and it shows a vulnerability of his, the biggest weakness of the extremely few he has. (The two other vulnerabilities being a special kind of magic and human feelings towards those he cares about, such as his girlfriend Lois Lane, his late foster parents the Kents, and his pal Cub reporter Jimmy Olsen – among many others).

This bizarre Superfriend/Superman adventure started out on a fairly leisurely, languid, warm spring twilight as the sun was gradually setting in late April or early May (or so) in the very heart of lackluster Central Illinois. Robin had made a special excursion to come over to visit Melissa (on one of her nights off from work – the first night off after a grueling, stress-filled two 12-hour nights on in a row) in her apartment in the middle of nowhere Illinois, along with Wendy, Marvin, Wonder dog, The Wonder Twins, and Gleek. They were all trying to get to know each other better because they were all close in age, at least as to how it is determined on earth. (Later on, Robin would kind of lament bringing the others along, although it made breaking the ice a little easier to have the Twins and the others there, as he felt awkward about how to approach Melissa as she was unlike any other girl he had met and just as unpredictable, if not more so).

Moreover, since the other (senior) Superfriends were all older, the younger ones knew that they needed to stick together. Robin was appreciative that Melissa was now part of the team, but only slightly at first, as she was the closest to his age, and he felt that he could actually talk to her and she would understand, even though when she first met him she teased him constantly. (Robin at first ascertained Melissa to be nothing more than an aggravation, but that had changed more recently as Robin started looking at Melissa in a different way, unknowing she started seeing Robin in the same different way.) None of Robin's close friends from the Teen Titans had yet been allowed to join the group, which sometimes made Robin feel a little bit more like an outcast. Robin sometimes felt that the only reason he was in the group was because his guardian/mentor Batman had good standing even though Robin knew he possessed many of the same skills and knowledge of Batman, he just lacked experience that is gained from being older (and growing up).

Melissa seemed especially down-to-earth to talk to and understanding – two qualities that Robin fancied right away, she just seemed to lend an ear to those who needed it. Melissa's compassion shown through brightly as Robin talked and she listened to him vent about anything and everything, which made him feel better. She seemed to be a mystery that he wanted to solve, and solve it alone. But Robin, at first, thought that Melissa knew dreadfully little that could possibly help the Superfriends, and he treated her like the annoying little sister, even though she was slightly older than he was. Robin would soon be in for a revelation in understanding that there was more to Melissa than met the eye, and he would start finding that out in the strangest way – by just being himself with his droll charm, attention-grabbing puns (which usually stated the obvious), and sarcastic quips.

Robin was a bit surprised and incredibly impressed (as well as a bit envious) by how well Melissa got along with not only the younger members, but also the older members of the Superfriends. It had taken Robin a while to get used to both groups and he still was not quite there, but Melissa just had a knack for getting along with all kinds of people, from Robin's perspective and she appeared to assimilate right into the group. (Melissa could even make both Batman and Superman laugh, which was quite an accomplishment in Robin's eyes especially for the short time that she was there). Robin was just unable to explicate how Melissa was able to get along with so many people so easily (or so it appeared), but it made her even more interesting and intriguing (as well as frustrating as to how she got along so well with both groups – little did Robin realize that Melissa struggled greatly to achieve this). Robin did not realize that sometimes when Batman and Superman laughed; it was not necessarily a good thing to Melissa, as she was far more sensitive than her tough looking exterior would lead others to believe. Not even Superman and Batman realized that their laughter occasionally stung Melissa where she hurt the most – her beaten-up, battered, and broken heart, which was where her extremely sensitive feelings lay hidden from the world, struggling and fighting to get out of their extreme confinement.

Robin wanted an opportunity to get to know her better, as it seemed it was possible that something might be there between himself and Melissa, at least in terms of being good friends, possibly more. However, to get her alone was easier said than done as often she was either busy or liked some of her alone time by herself (hence alone time), made even more difficult due to the fact that Robin felt a new edginess being around her by himself. He had tried to shake it off numerous times, hoping that she would not notice. This was a novel experience for him, as he had never felt that way around any other girl in his superpower circle including the Dynamic Duo's third part time partner Batgirl or his Teen Titan friend Wonder Girl or even Superman's cousin Supergirl. This particular new feeling was especially different from any other girls he had been around, and it was not going away unlike several previous instances. All Robin knew was that there was something unique about this woman that genuinely intrigued him and he was determined to see this feeling out.

As for the animals that came along on the excursion, Melissa could not just leave them out of the fun (due to her love of animals, particularly dogs), so she invited them in to her welcoming dwelling and took them out to the balcony. Wonder dog and Gleek were instructed to behave or they would be sent to their cages at the Hall of Justice (or at home) without dinner. Both were on their best behavior, as Melissa was not supposed to have pets in her hospitable apartment, but since these were trained and not staying very long, she let them in. However, they mostly stayed outside on the terrace, not wondering too far as they had no idea where they were, and they feared they might get lost if they tried exploring around the foreign locale. The most unexpected phenomenon being that Gleek decided not to meander off, but stayed and was compliant for once (a sigh of relief could be seen in the Wonder Twins faces and heard in their voices – as Gleek had a knack for getting into an immense amount of trouble of which Melissa was well aware).

Melissa was extremely warmhearted and accepting of the Wonder Twins, even giving them a few suggestions regarding some minor earthly things that the Superfriends and kids had not thought of teaching them, at least not yet (it was not a huge deal, just a few minute details is all). The Wonder Twins felt exceedingly welcomed in Melissa's presence and soon began to join the ongoing conversation amongst the group, without fear of judgment. Melissa was especially encouraging to the twins and the kids (which inadvertently astonished Robin, although he should have known better due to how she took care of him during the adventure when he was turned into an infant – but then he was regressed to an age where he had little of his adult memory left, although he remembered that he was always left with the feeling that she was a caring, warm, and soothing person. Well, she did have to hold him, console him, and soothe him quite a bit as he cried quite frequently out of fear of the unknown and missing Batman/Bruce Wayne). Melissa had a unique gift (and way) for encouraging others along – that is for sure. Her caring personality came out in full, as did her gift for mercy and compassion (but that was not the only part of her multifaceted personality that shown through that night).

The twins were not sure what to make of this acceptance, as they were not used to such generosity and favorable receptions, and it seemed extraordinary to them. Zan was even trying to impress Melissa (to make her see him as equal and Jayna was worried about her and her brother), even though neither Zan nor Jayna realized that Melissa had accepted them exactly as they were, with no impressions needed. Melissa wanted Zan and Jayna to be just who they are and not disguise themselves by making "erroneous" impressions. (However, Melissa did not always play all her cards to anyone who was not trusted enough to handle her secrets – hence she did not always follow her own advice, how typical of all earthlings.)

Melissa even asked the Twins about their home planet of Exxor, and about how and why they came to earth. They were reticent, as Melissa seemed to pick up familiar emotions from their vibes. Even though they were hesitant to talk about it, they somehow felt that Melissa would understand what had happened and so they talked a little bit about what had happened. They did not know it (at least yet), but Melissa could see much of what had happened to the Twins as similar to many things that she experienced as she grew up. This included the fact that she and the Twins were selected because they were different, and that they had to find their own way out as no one was willing to help them escape. Melissa could empathize (particularly strongly) with the Wonder Twins, although no one knew it at the time as Melissa was not very well known or understood – just how she liked it before she had a chance to make sure she could trust her new friends. She could even identify with their (the Wonder Twins) hesitation for talking about what had happened, because of the feeling that no one would understand the feelings that the experience left them.

This unquestioned and unconditional acceptance unconsciously impressed Robin and the other kids (Wendy and Marvin), as they were more than a little astounded that Melissa and the Twins got along so well. No one yet realized or knew that Melissa could grasp exactly what it felt like to be made fun of (and placed in the spot light as a "freak show") because one was different from everyone else, (and she was an earthling). She knew the feelings of inadequacy, apprehension, melancholy, hatred, rage, humiliation, shame, and resentment as well as many of the other mix of emotions that go along with being demoralized for one's weaknesses or differences. (Zan and Jayna felt that Melissa understood them in a way that no one had so far, but were not sure as to why. The Twins were relieved when, after talking about their experience, Melissa gave them a great big hug as a way of showing empathy and understanding and did not offer any opinion from her mouth.)

Moreover, because of her past experiences in life, Melissa did her best to defend the underdog, as well as try to accept those who are different (or march to the beat of a different drum) at least to a point. (Hey, a person can only stretch so far before beliefs and morals limit her tolerance level). She also did her best to treat others the way she wanted to be treated (she lived by the Golden Rule as part of her Christian faith and walk). Besides, it was essential to Melissa to put others ahead of herself, as that was just the way she was (although she routinely needed to be reminded to take care of herself first in order to be able help others better, but oh well – no one is faultless).

Melissa had a blast entertaining her company and getting to know them better, although it was evident to the rest of the troop that Robin and Melissa were flirting and possibly interested in each other, though it was just at the very beginning stages, like a baby just learning to roll over. Nothing formal as of yet, just bantering back and forth as well as poking, prodding, and ribbing each other, causing many shared laughs. No one said anything about it though, as no one knew or could foretell how Melissa or Robin would react in that circumstance – especially how Melissa would act in response as few really knew anything about her (including Robin at this point). The two flirters were having an exceptionally delightful time, mostly laughing the time away, and throwing smart-alecky quips and puns back and forth. It was unmistakable that they at least thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. In fact, it was almost as if one could see the spark and chemistry growing between them, blooming like a flower in spring. Not unusual, but unexpected as neither one had known the other very long (and when they first met they seemed to not be able to stand each other).

While bantering back and forth, though, Robin noticed that a few of his (what he thought) seemingly innocent and harmless comments and barbs aimed at Melissa in jest struck an exceptionally raw, vulnerable nerve in her extraordinarily sensitive, vulnerable core (through a small chink in her fairly tough and tight armor), although she did her best not to let the damage and hurt show. (However, she could not hide the raging agony and rampaging pain that she felt and showed through her gentle, round, distraught, aggrieved blue-gray eyes if one could read behind her eyes – although she did not know that Robin had caught on to this fact). Robin, after noticing this minute clue, tried to be much more careful, without anyone knowing about it or suspecting anything, especially Melissa, as he did not want her to know he picked up the signal as letting her know might cause problems. Maybe, just maybe he though, there was more to Melissa than meets the eye, but the question was what did Robin just find out about her?

Robin quickly tried to make her laugh again, and saw he was rewarded by seeing her eyes change, as she was truly joyful. (However, he could still see the sting on the horizon – especially the tears that would not be cried – inadvertently due to Melissa's unyielding and unwavering belief that crying showed weakness and she was not going to show weakness to anyone as weaknesses are used for oppression). Moreover, all were having a good time getting to know the others. (Robin had a brief indication that maybe, just maybe, Melissa was not as hardy, sturdy, cold and intense as she made herself have a facade of being, but he was uncertain why she would so desperately conceal the softer, more feminine side that he saw a flash or two of. Maybe there was something more there that was not fully understood, and whatever it was, Melissa did her best to obscure it from all others, and curious Robin was more determined than ever to find out what was going on with Melissa). Melissa continued laughing; believing that she had fooled all into believing that she was not wounded by the jabs from Robin, not realizing that Robin had figured out that something was different from her normal behavior (that he had observed).

Melissa, who had seemed especially hushed, introverted, and reserved as well as somewhat aloof when she was in situations in which she felt slightly self-conscious and/or (completely or slightly) out of place previously, now was showing a characteristic of her individuality that they had never seen before. Here, safe in her relaxing apartment, where she was comfortable and in her own familiar domain, the kids and Robin saw quite a bit more of her idiosyncratic, positive, fiery, feisty, self-sufficient, as well as caring, personality. They were curious as to how those two distinct and contradicting personalities could reside in one person who was still so young and fairly tough looking on the exterior. They finally realized that she had a multifaceted personality that was not easy to describe or explain, but above all, they realized that she had lots of compassion and mercy for others, the biggest reason that the Superfriends had asked her to become an honorary member. No one knew that she just did not know which parts about her raw personality were real or fake anymore, she was confused but wanted no one to know as to tell would lead her wide open and vulnerable to outright rejection that she had experienced many a time in her young life.

Melissa could shoot sarcastic quips with the best of them and had her own fun puns that Robin responded to with his own puns (another sign that the two might like each other). Melissa's true laugh was infectious to all, and all had a good time. (They did not know that Melissa had an extremely gentle and sensitive side, yet, one that can be easily hurt by those who use her weaknesses to make fun of her or embarrass her. However, Robin might have seen flashes of it when they were bantering back and forth – hence being a little more careful of what he said to her in jest.) Robin was starting to notice that only he had noticed the change in her eyes after his comment, making him wonder about several different things.

They all found Melissa to be an incredibly philanthropic and compassionate person who wanted nothing more than the friendships that were offered by getting to know the Superfriends, including the junior members (and Robin). Robin could see why the Superfriends asked her to join, and so far, she had been an asset to the team even though she would do things and get in way over her head before asking for help. That detail alone intrigued Robin; she was independent and was willing to look for a way out before she asked for help. (Robin did not comprehend just yet that the genuine reason for not asking for help was that she did not trust those she asked to help her as she had had many unpleasant experiences in this field). Gradually, Robin became consciously aware that each little thing he learned about Melissa was like opening another wrapped present, where one does not know what he or she is getting until it is opened and the joy that goes with getting the present one always wanted (or the shock of what is actually in the present).

Melissa did incredibly little of the chatting as she did more of the listening, something more up her alley, as she was never really one to talk about herself nor did anyone realize she had an intense fear in talking with large groups, (groups containing more than just her and 1 or 2 people). She asked mostly questions of all the kids and Robin to find out more about them. She learned quite a bit, taking in each person's verbal and nonverbal clues (something she does in her profession of being a registered nurse) to better understand each person, and helping her learn to trust those she now had visiting her home. Additionally, she learned quite a bit from all the evidence she was able to glean from her visiting cohorts.

Furthermore, in listening to the others talk amongst themselves, she learned quite a bit about each person. She could not help but laugh at the jokes, puns, and sarcastic quips made by Robin; even if they made her groan a little at times, (these sayings reminded Melissa of her dad's jokes – which were called bad joke dad jokes even though some still caused laughter). Melissa could also tell that Marvin liked Wendy, but Wendy had no idea and was not interested in a relationship right now. Poor Marvin, but oh well, such is the love life of an infatuated high school pupil who has little idea all of the wonderful (and stressful) things that life will bring him after high school.

They all stayed quite a while before they needed to go home, though no one really wanted to depart as they were all having too much fun, particularly Robin (as he wished he could get to know Melissa without others around as it was obvious to Robin that Melissa did better with small group chatting, such as one on one). Robin had brought the Bat-multicraft and mentioned that it was time for all to trek on home. The kids were dismayed, but acknowledged that it was time to go home. All, including Robin, had homework to do and examinations for which to study. Melissa was grateful that she was done with school for now, a little fact that she jokingly rubbed in on Robin, and Robin responded with one of his infamous wisecracks. All had a good laugh and then parted ways, to congregate again in a week or so (although, Robin did want to try to get Melissa alone prior to that time, if he could).

After Robin and the kids took off and everyone said goodbye, Melissa went to clean up her cozy little apartment. It was a bit of a mess after having company visit, although it beat being by herself for her night off. She was just glad that she managed to get the place cleaned before her guests arrived, as she was not the tidiest of people at times. Fortunately, for Melissa, no one knew that she was not the tidiest of people (at least in terms of the members and junior members of the Superfriends). It is not that she was not organized, it was more the fact that she was slightly on the slothful side at times. It was challenging for her to inspire herself to keep things immaculate, as when it was that neat Melissa felt it did not feel lived in, but felt like a formal showroom, though she was getting better about keeping her place clean.

As she tidied up, she turned on the TV so that she could listen to the evening news and to feel like she still had company around. She never liked the sound of silence. In fact, it freaked her out completely; as did the dark, (the worst was dark and silent). And so, with the TV loud enough for to hear from every room in her comfortable apartment, she continued to clean up her welcoming humble apartment, which was comfortable and sparkled with her cheerful, childlike personality thanks to her many little touches and curios. (Thanks to cleaning before the company arrived and the use of disposable dishes, she did not have as much to clean up afterwards – this was a huge reprieve, as she was effortlessly sidetracked when trying to clean, as she did not care to clean up. She liked things to be shipshape but not the work to keep things that way).

She was not sure why she put on the news other than it was normally not something interesting enough to pull her away from the task at hand (she hated cleaning with a passion). Most of the evening news she disregarded because she was busy cleaning her place and it was monotonous, but then there was one late breaking story that immediately captured her attention and she scurried to see the TV set, just about tripping over a couple small things on her way there. It was a story about a young family trapped in a fire on the top of an apartment building in a small town not too far from where Melissa was living. The building had started burning about 45 minutes ago. She knew that if assistance did not arrive soon, the young family would be lost. She was not going to let that happen if she could help it. She knew she had to help in anyway possible.

Melissa quickly abandoned cleaning up her apartment to head to her car and voyaged over to the smoldering apartment building in a near by town. She knew she had to attempt to do something, but as to what, she was not sure as of just yet. She just knew others were in trouble and would need extra help. She desperately wanted to be part of the solution, to help these people who could not help themselves. She wanted to see what was going on before she called one of the Superfriends to make sure this would merit their service. Melissa knew they were busy and could not always help with everything, and she wanted to make sure this tragedy qualified before she pushed a hero button on her wristwatch (a new enhancement since Melissa lived so far away from the Hall of Justice, she had buttons on her wristwatch that could call any and/or all the SuperFriends or JLA members). Therefore, off she headed toward the impending disaster, completely oblivious of the events that would later happen that night.

When she finally arrived at the blazing inferno, she saw the firefighters frantically and desperately attempting to reach the stranded family on the top floor of the fire-engulfed structure, just slightly out of reach of the ladders on the fire truck. She noticed that the family was no longer able to gesture as well as they had been, and she quickly pushed a "Superman" button on her wristwatch in hopes he could get here in time to rescue the young family – she knew that Superman would be the young family's absolute only remaining chance to survive the horrifying conflagration. The high-pressured water hoses were on full blast but doing little to restrain the thunderous inferno – instead, the water seemed to be making the vacillating structure even more unsound. The thick, black smoke was promptly choking all who came too close to the fiery blaze, even the firefighters who attempted to go in with oxygen tanks and masks on.

She speedily assessed the situation and inaudibly said a silent prayer in her battered heart and watched what unfolded as precious seconds ticked slowly by, like sap flowing from a tree. Seconds seemed like hours as Melissa waited for a sign that her signal had reached Superman, who could be anywhere around the globe at this point. Little did she know what that call would do that night. All she knew was that Superman getting here in time and saving them would be the only chance this young family would have to survive this dire calamity. The big question was would he get here in time, though? At least six young lives hung in the delicate balance and depended on Superman arriving in time to save them from the blazing inferno.

She had no idea that Superman took a little while to find her and where she had called from, as he was unfamiliar with the general area, as she was not in Decatur, as she normally was when Superman came to visit. Little did she know that not only would God answer her prayer about the precious young family, but also He would provide her with a trial that would definitely challenge her patience and energy in return. The tribulation would also unintentionally demonstrate to the Superfriends that Melissa had what it takes to be a junior member of the Superfriends team. (This type of adversity was not one that could be duplicated, so unknowingly, she had only one huge chance to finally prove herself that she could be a full-fledged junior member. The question was – would she be able to handle it, or should I say him?)

All of the sudden, a bright blue light quickly streaked across the dark night sky and it faded as rapidly as it came. Melissa hoped it was an answer to her and the young family's prayers, but it looked more like a shooting star than the help for which she had hoped and prayed for. Melissa (from her far off position in the dark woods) tried to look closely and realized that this was it, as time was rapidly running out. The gutted edifice was starting to disintegrate inwardly as it was on treacherous grounds. The flames blazed defiantly as the firefighters could no longer risk attempting to get to the suffering young family and the water from the high-pressure hoses was causing the structure to disintegrate even more. The noxious, black smoke was billowing upward and outward toward the sky turning an already dark night even blacker and hiding the full moon. It did not look good for the young family now completely trapped in their top floor apartment.

It was mentioned on the news broadcast that the young family consisted of a 28-year-old executive and his 27-year-old wife, who was a pregnant homemaker who had given up her teaching career to rear their four small children. Their four young children were all under the age of three (two sets of identical twins all boys age 2 and a half years old and 9 months old). When Melissa heard this, it broke her heart and she could not help but shed tears, especially for the young children. She could not imagine children dying so young, nor could she imagine the young parents dying, as they were just barely older than she was. The whole thing seemed dreamlike and surreal.

In addition, it was mentioned that the police were investigating the scene to determine if this was the result of faulty wiring or if someone had intentionally set this building ablaze and arson was top on the list of causes so far, although no one could be certain. The building had recently been refurbished and the police wondered if that had to do something with the fire as well. So many questions but dreadfully few answers or leads at that point. Nevertheless, right now, the biggest concern was saving the family from the blaze. But with no way in or out for anyone, how could the family possibly be saved?

All knew that the young family could not last much longer, and most had given up hope that the young family would be saved from the towering and growing inferno, and most were now suspecting that all that lived in that apartment were dead. Neighbors watched in horror, as this tragedy was unfolding right before their terrified eyes. No one noticed Melissa far off in the background waiting (and hoping) for Superman to show up as she was in a fairly wooded area, a rarity in the agricultural strewn lands of Central Illinois. Melissa was starting to get worried and disheartened that Superman might not have received her signal and was not coming to save this family in dire need of being rescued. Tears welled up in her eyes as she now figured those she tried so hard to save might be dead before Superman ever arrived on scene (and that was if he even got her signal). She was about to turn and leave crying when she heard a commotion come over the people watching the building blaze. She returned to her previous location and was shocked to see what happened next.

Next thing anyone knew (including Melissa), the two parents were lying flat on ambulance stretchers with oxygen masks on, passed out from smoke inhalation. The four young boys were in the arms of the firefighters, fighting to stay alive while the firefighters were dumbfounded by what had just happened and the family showing up with severe smoke inhalation as well as second and third degree burns, but alive nonetheless. Several members of the family did have burns on their bodies, particularly the parents, as they had tried to protect their young children. The greatest concern was for the young children as burns and smoke inhalation are much more likely to quickly kill an infant or a toddler as opposed to a full-grown adult. Hastily, the firefighters revived the family, got the family into ambulances, and sent them for emergency treatment.

As the family was being driven speedily away to the local hospitals, the apartment building was still blazing out of control and continued to do so as it collapsed noisily to the ground. After the building crashed to the ground (which Superman unknowingly helped with to help put out the fire), the firefighters were quickly able to control and put out the blaze. Melissa was absolutely dumbfounded to see the family alive and out of the fire. Warm tears of elation welled up in her soft gray-blue eyes. They were barely alive, but alive nonetheless. Melissa could not have been happier. The family may have lost everything possession-wise, but they still had their lives. She knew now that everything was fine and that it was time for her to leave.

Additionally, Melissa saw a couple small puppies wondering around with collars on from the same apartment. All had been saved, from the biggest to the smallest. She knew that she had done her job, and she began to gradually head back to her car to head home knowing that she had helped but not needing the recognition nor caring for any recognition for her insignificant role. (Moreover, she treaded off unhurriedly so that she did not arouse any suspicion as she had nothing to do with starting the fire, but she did not want to have to prove it). Helping out from behind the scenes was Melissa's favorite pastime and she wanted little or no credit for stuff she determined "others would have done the same." It made Melissa feel the best when she could help others, especially when they could not help themselves. Melissa was neither ready nor prepared for what happened to her next.

Little did Melissa know that Superman had already conversed with the all the firefighters at the scene and found out that none of them called him here, as none of them knew how to contact him. However, they did tell him that he was a welcome answer to a anxious prayer as they were extremely appreciative he showed up in time to save the suffering young family and that family now owed their lives to him. Even the townspeople were surprised that Superman showed up, but they were all extremely grateful and thankful.

This revelation was news to Superman as he now wondered who had called him as this was not Melissa's apartment (Superman knew that much) nor Melissa's town, as he remembered from when he first met Melissa. Everyone was thanking Superman as the ambulances were on their way, taking the family away to local hospitals as the parents were in critical condition, as were the children. (Yes reader, for those concerned, all the family survived the inferno, but spent many months in the hospitals and in rehabilitation, and they are now getting back to the life they had. There was also a small addition to the family, a new baby girl).

Superman questioned several people on the scene and no one knew how he was called here, but all were ecstatic to see him and that he had rescued that precious young family, as in a small town everyone knows everyone. Superman acknowledged the crowd as he began scanning the area to figure out just who might have contacted him. It was odd that here he was in Central Illinois, not in Decatur, and yet he still could not figure out who had contacted him, as most people in this area would not even begin to know how to reach him. And he thought that Melissa could not have pushed it due to this not being her apartment. However, Superman remembered that this was close to Decatur, and so it was still feasible (and conceivable) that Melissa had contacted him for the disaster. The question, though, was how did she decide to call him? (as it was already obvious to why she chose him.)

As Superman was searching for those who had contacted him, he spotted the person who might have called him far away, quietly and slowly sauntering away through the woods into the dark night in an attempt to not be noticed by anyone and remain anonymous, someone who looked extremely familiar. Someone who might know more about calling him than anyone else at the devastating scene, someone Superman had met previously. Superman suddenly flew straight up into the air, so as not to draw the attention of the crowd of his true intention (after acknowledging the crowd and waving goodbye) and then started heading promptly in the direction of this person slowly heading off in the direction away from the fire when Superman felt no one could see him head for the lone, mysterious figure. Little did Superman suspect what adventure this one call would lead him into later that night.

As Melissa started slowly sauntering away from the tragedy that she had helped avert, she ran smack into something that felt as inflexible as steel and just as strong, if not tougher and stronger, (she was not watching where she was going – typical – because she prefers to help others by being in the background). She looked up to see Superman, smiling at down at her. Somehow, he knew she was responsible for summoning him to rescue the trapped family, although she did not know how he could possibly know. She panicked a bit at seeing Superman show up right in front of her from ostensibly out of nowhere, as she had not seen him emerge on scene.

Melissa was in such a state of shock that she almost fell backwards, but Superman prevented her from doing that and getting hurt on the jagged rocks that were strewn upon the unexciting landscape. She was thinking that Superman thought she started the fire and she was worried that he would not want to be her comrade anymore. Little did she know he wanted to thank her for helping him save the young family in time. He wanted her to know that she was a hero, too – even if she wanted to take no credit for the rescue. He had been told by the fire department that the blaze had been going on for an hour before he arrived. Superman knew (which he did not pass on to her) at that time, Melissa still had Robin and the kids over visiting – as he had checked on her with the secret monitor in her Superfriends watch (which Melissa still did not know about, although she occasionally was surprised how fast the Superfriends were able to find her, but she just assumed they were familiar with the area).

Superman informed her that had she waited any longer, the young family would not have survived the devastating inferno. Melissa glanced up at him (obviously relieved) and acknowledged that she was only doing her best to help others in trouble, something she tried to do as much as achievable – hence her profession as a nurse. Melissa was relieved, first at the fact that he was not irate with her, and second, that he was not going to expose her for calling him to the scene. Melissa let out an enormous sigh of relief. She was just glad that everything was going to be fine and that everyone had been saved, including the two endearing little Beagle puppies.

Somehow, he knew she did not want the attention that came along with helping save the family. She let him take the credit, which suited her just fine, as all she did was call for him to come. Superman did the rest of the work. Superman and Melissa promptly and quietly approached Melissa's car thanks to Superman, as Melissa needed to head back home, and Superman offered to fly Melissa home in her car, which she gladly accepted. Melissa wanted to get home as soon as possible so that she could continue to enjoy her night off from work, which she had earned.

After delicately picking up Melissa's Royal Blue Bug (that had automatic shift), Superman carefully flew Melissa back to Decatur while she sat in her car, trusting him not to drop her. Once they arrived at Melissa's apartment building, he gently set her car down in its proper parking space, being extremely careful not to drop it, and opened the car door for her once it was safely on the ground (his adoptive parents had raised him well and he had excellent manners). She stepped out and thanked him for the flight, hugging him now that they were finally on the ground and safe (as she had been a little scared while flying in her car, though she had music on to try to calm her fears).

Then, she asked Superman to come with her on an excursion of the general area so that should he ever came back this way for any reason, he would be familiar with the region and flat terrain. She could tell it took him a while to find her apartment complex, and Superman even admitted that it took him longer to find the fire since he was unfamiliar with the area. He readily agreed as he had already run his patrol of Metropolis and Batman was watching from the Hall of Justice with Wonder Woman. Robin was taking the kids home for the night and was on his way back to Gotham City. Aquaman was monitoring the world from his secret base in the Atlantic Ocean and could be easily contacted in case of an emergency. All seemed to be quiet, much too quiet, on this late spring night that was calm and serene, with a light fresh breeze winding through the peaceful yet lackluster countryside. The pandemonium that was just over the horizon was not seen, felt, or sensed by Melissa, Superman, or any of the other SuperFriends.

Therefore, Superman and Melissa flew over the flatlands of monotonous Central Illinois. Even Superman commented that he seldom saw such repetitiveness except the few times when he visited his hometown of Smallville (in Kansas), which was very rare as both his foster parents were dead and there was not really much need to visit otherwise (Lana Lang and Pete Ross had long since moved elsewhere and seldom kept in touch due to their own busy lives). Flying through the air was a breathtaking experience, as the occurrence gave Melissa a new meaning of "bird's-eye view". The ground sped rapidly underneath the sky-bound pair, people and objects grew smaller as the higher they went. The cool breeze blew silently by the pair, making the scenery even more amazing by allowing them to stay cooled off while sightseeing around the area.

Melissa told Superman about Lake Decatur where the first adventure for the Superfriends with her had started. Additionally, she showed him Maroa-Forsyth High School and school district (Melissa's old high school that she could actually care less about), Decatur Memorial Hospital (where Melissa diligently worked 12- hour night shifts as an RN on an extraordinarily busy surgical floor), as well as several other landmarks of the flattened and boring area (including the corn and soybean fields that dotted the landscape). There was not a whole lot to see, but they flew over Decatur, Maroa, and Forsyth anyway as well as a few other small towns near by (although Melissa did not know all those other little towns quite as well).

After talking and seeing a few more highlights such as Tate and Lyle® as well as Archer Daniels Midland (ADM®), the tour hastily wound up and the pair headed back toward Melissa's apartment complex, the stars in the heavens glowing luminously, flamboyantly, and optimistically overhead as there was not a cloud in the darkening sky for miles. (Nothing romantic, you understand, as Melissa was much more interested in Robin and Superman had a girlfriend – a female reporter named Lois Lane, one of Clark Kent's co-workers.) (It was just the kind of night that has chaos waiting just over the horizon, the type of chaos that is unexpected and turns into quite an adventure. The night was too quiet and too nice to be an uneventful night, plus strange things can happen under a full moon.)

However, when they got close to Melissa's apartment at the end of the tour, a good-sized meteor from outer space flew too close to the pair and they barely eluded it. Superman managed to get out of the way just in time, as he knew Melissa was not invulnerable like he was, and the impact from the speeding meteor could easily exterminate her. And, Superman knew that there would be no way he could completely protect and/or shield her should he decide that he could destroy it and he could not let go of her since they were still far up in the air. So avoiding the meteor's path was the best alternative. No one could foresee what would happen because of that solitary meteor as it hastily whizzed by the duo, blazing and shrinking as it hurtled toward the earth. It all happened in the blink of an eye, and then the meteor was past the sky bound friends, but the effects it would have would last a lot longer than anyone anticipated or expected, especially for Superman and Melissa.

Neither Melissa nor Superman realized just yet how much that meteor would affect Superman until they landed on the ground, as it quickly burned as it fell further, further through earth's atmosphere, and further away from our two sky-bound friends. It was a unique meteor, a meteor that would lead to quite an adventure for Melissa and Superman, as well as the rest of the Superfriends team. It would cause chaos in a most unusual way, and poor Melissa would unfortunately receive the brunt of it, as she would placed in a position where she would be the only one who could help.

Although, unknown to Melissa, Superman started immediately feeling the effects as he was descending towards Melissa's apartment complex. However, he tried to shake it off as something else, even though he could feel his body reacting and responding to the meteor's presence. Melissa had no warning as they swiftly approached the ground. Superman was descending much faster than normal, but Melissa did not notice until they landed on the ground, in the parking lot near her apartment complex. This landing was a warning sign for Melissa, and nothing could stop what would happen next nor the shock that Melissa would soon receive.

After the rough, jarring, and rocky landing, Melissa innocently and inquisitively asked Superman what the matter was and why he had landed so vigorously, as he usually was gentler especially when carrying someone or something that he knew was much more vulnerable than him. Melissa was massaging her throbbing backside as the landing, she knew, was going to leave her with large black and blue bruises, and she was starting to sense that something was amiss. He looked at her with a particularly befuddled look and asked her who she was – she was not sure if he was joking or serious, as he had done this once before when he tried to play a harmless joke on her (which had backfired on him). She told him who she was and replied that he should recognize her. He looked at her again with an even more bewildered look on his face and confirmed in all seriousness that he was not even sure who he was or where he was or anything else. This information sent up a bunch of blaring red flags in Melissa's mind, as the seriousness of what just happened hit her like a ton of bricks. Superman really had lost his memory! She could not believe that Superman, of all people, had amnesia. Her next actions, though, spoke volumes for her character as well as her resourcefulness and creativity in taking care of a Super-problem that stared her squarely in the face, daring her to answer the challenge.

Immediately, Melissa silently brought him into her nearby apartment as she instantaneously realized that he must have lost his memory when that comet came too close to them. She knew then that it must have contained a considerable amount of Red Kryptonite in it, something that had various and unpredictable effects on Superman and that only disappears after having completely manifested their effects for an allotted period of time. This time the Red K had caused Superman to have amnesia, but he retained his super powers (sometimes the Red K takes away his powers and sometimes it does not). What was Melissa going to do now that she was the only person who knew about what happened to Superman and how would she figure out how to prevent Superman from exposing his amnesia to the world? The daunting task now lay at Melissa's feet, enthusiastically and impatiently awaiting the complicated response to the simple yet confounding question.

Melissa knew instantaneously that she had to get Superman back to the sick lab at the Hall of Justice before anyone realized he had amnesia, as there was no way she could go to the Fortress of Solitude as she had no idea where it was located and Superman could not tell her because he did not remember (besides only Superman would remember how to open it, and even that was gone now). If anyone, especially the wrong people, were to find out about Superman's amnesia, that could cause a worldwide disaster and panic – one in which the Superfriends would have trouble containing, as no one was really strong enough to oppose Superman and none of his closest friends would want to use Green Kryptonite on him just to stop him. (Although, one of his friends just might use Green K to keep Superman safe). Superman and the world needed to be protected and only Melissa knew why (and only she could find the way).

Melissa told Superman about a little bit herself (at least the part of who she was and what she was doing with the Superfriends and such), about himself, and about the Superfriends. Nothing rang a bell for him, which told Melissa that this was reaching the critical point. However, she convinced him, after softly telling him for ten straight minutes or so, that he could fly because he was Kryptonian and not an ordinary earthling (as well as about the yellow sun and Earth's lesser gravity) and instructed him to take her to the Hall of Justice (while she guided him there) hastily and without hesitation.

He trusted her exceptionally straightforwardly and enthusiastically (which distressed Melissa quite a bit as the veracity of what might have happened if someone else might have discovered him in his recent circumstance was envisioned in her mind), and he swiftly did as she asked (another aspect of the circumstance that caused quite a bit of anxiety in Melissa). He seemed, to her, to be like an extremely fervent and trusting child waiting to grab onto the first person who could help him out. That single thought alone actually terrified Melissa, as she knew things were much better than they could have been, but worrying about what could have happened made her focus on taking care of the issue alone. Superman carefully carried Melissa to the Hall of Justice and allowed her lead him to a place where he could recover without causing any problems. She knew that she would have a lot of work ahead of her to make sure that he returned to normal while not causing or risking any further problems or complications (something easier said than done).

Melissa did not have the heart yet to notify the other members yet that Superman was out of commission right now, besides they were all extremely busy. She just prayed that her plan would work. Even though it might be distressing for Superman to leave for a short while, having him help when he was in this condition was worse than having him go away for a few days. No one must know, not even the Superfriends. Melissa figured that if she told the Superfriends via radio, someone else might eavesdrop on the conversation (or communication) and that would cause loads more problems (as there was no coded way to say Superman had amnesia due to Red Kryptonite) for Melissa, Superman, and the rest of the Superfriends.

In Melissa's mind, confidentiality was the best strategy at this particular point, although later she would lament this decision – as she would come to find that caring for Superman, especially with a memory deficit, would cost almost more patience, time, and energy than she had in her entire system. All she knew was that this problem was dropped in her lap and she needed to fix it. Therefore,, determined to face what may come, she and Superman continued toward the Hall of Justice.

As they were carefully yet awkwardly flying, Melissa told the now perplexed Superman to call his Clark Kent robot (and a Superman robot to be on call should it be necessary) and to program him a certain way, as he needed to hide his other identity and not give crooks or his co-workers any ideas that he was gone. The mystified and bewildered Superman was not sure why he should do this, but he trusted that Melissa had a particular reason for asking him to do this. Melissa had written things for Superman to say when he called his robots, but she needed him to call them without alerting anyone that he was calling them, using his super voice powers (which he used with strong encouragement and reassurance).

Therefore, trusting her, he called for his robots using a special form a communication called super-ventriloquism along with a sound that could not be heard by normal human ears (Melissa told Superman about these powers he had forgotten about) so that his robots got the message without anyone else catching on. This foresight by Melissa was going to be a great bonus when Superman's memory completely returned, whenever it would be, hopefully sooner rather than later (at least Melissa hoped). (Melissa clung on securely as they flew rapidly through the air, while she enjoyed flying, she was particularly afraid of heights. The now mystified Superman somehow sensed this and flew as carefully as he could making sure that she felt that she was not going to fall or anything else. Well, she was important as she held much of the knowledge that he had lost to the Red K and was desperately seeking. Not only that, but also something in his heart told him he needed to take care of her but he was not positive why, maybe it was because he always rescued people, but then he could not be certain).

After they arrived at the deserted Hall of Justice (even Wendy and Marvin and the Wonder Twins had things that they were handling – mainly homework), Melissa led Superman to a distinctive room in which was a sick bay especially built for Superman should something like what was going on happen to him. She brought him to it while he still carried her in to the door that led down to the room and had him stay there for a minute while she read the instructions. The instructions stated that someone would have to remain in the room with Superman while he was in here to help prevent his escape. Melissa gladly took that position as no one else was around to perform the task (Batman and Wonder Woman had stepped out of the Hall to help on another emergency going on in Batman's home territory of Gotham City). Since she was a nurse, she decided that she could (hopefully) tell when something was going wrong, although Superman's Kryptonian body and physiology (even though he looked like a normal human being) might be slightly different from a normal earthling's human body and physiology.

Before opening the door, she put on special gloves to prevent fingerprints from being left on the doorknob (so that no one would be able to pinpoint someone in the room) and had Superman fly down the stairs to prevent any evidence of the two hiding out in the special room. And, since the room was completely soundproof and no one would be able to break in or communicate with them, Melissa would not be able to communicate with the Superfriends. And so she sent a coded communiqué to Robin to let him know that she and Superman were handling another escapade and would not be able to aid the other Superfriends (before locking herself and Superman in the room).

She decided that she would enlighten Superman about his exploits and stories while she kept him in here to keep him from leaving, as well as all the limited stuff she knew about his home planet of Krypton and that the yellow sun of earth and the lesser gravity are what give him his powers (as well as his weaknesses). He would need to know that he was the last son of the great planet of Krypton (at least that was free on earth – there was the Phantom Zone and Kandor, as well as Supergirl, but that was different) as well as much as Melissa knew about Jor El and Lara as well as John and Martha Kent. Melissa would even need to remind him of Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Lois Lane, and Lana Lang as well as a few others (including the Superfriends and the JLA along with their alter egos). She would need to remind him of his fortress of solitude, a remnant from his home planet that was located somewhere in the artic.

Melissa also remembered that in addition to the Superfriends and the junior Superfriends, she would have to remind Superman about the members of the Justice League and all that stuff. Needless to say, Melissa had her work cut out for her (for this previously mentioned material was in addition to reminding him and helping him reacquaint him to all of his powers as well as reminding him of his alter ego Clark Kent identity and the humble, bumbling, stumbling person Clark was and Clark's co-workers). Melissa prayed that she would have the strength, patience, and energy she needed to be able to face the task that lay before her with no easy solution. She had no idea of the sacrifice that would be required on her part, but saw no solution other than she had to help Superman, and she alone. Little did she know that her sacrifice would almost cost her very dearly. All she knew was that she had to help her friend, and she had to do it alone.

There was also the matter of keeping Superman in the room below the Hall. How was she going to keep him in when he was much stronger than she was? He could easily lift her aside and escape (although she doubted he would, the point was he could). She decided that she would use the only edge she had in her necklace, even though she knew it would hurt her good friend. She kept a small piece of (green) Kryptonite in her cross necklace (made of lead) that she would use as well, (which had miraculously passed the detection built into the Hall to detect any form of Kryptonite, particularly green or gold. Well, it was incased in lead and was an incredibly minute piece of the alien radioactively charged rock that was formerly a piece of Krypton). She had it just in case one of the prisoners of the Phantom Zone ever got out and attacked her or if Superman had a change from Red K and went rogue for a while. Never in a million years did she think that she would require it in order to help Superman.

She did not have an alternative if she wanted to have any time to sleep, and that would be the only time she would use it. (It was such a small piece that it would not incapacitate Superman, merely make him have no more strength than that of an ordinary man and cause him pain, which would not enable him to get out of this room by his super-strength or other powers.) And, the room was soundproof, so no one would be able to hear that these two were down here and expose Superman during his weak condition, an exceedingly critical consideration.

Therefore, Melissa braced herself, shut the door, and locked herself and Superman (although his memory was still missing at this point) in the particular area that was designed to help treat Superman should something like this happen to him. It had enough space and enough stuff to do that those enclosed would not worry too much about missing things, although Melissa chose not to use the TV as that might cause problems since she had no movies to watch. Moreover, since no communications came into or out of the room, there really was nothing on. Besides, with all the stuff she would need to re-teach Superman, there would be little time to watch anything anyway (Melissa could still record while teaching as she was good at multitasking).

In addition, Melissa used the computer only to record what went on in the room. Melissa knew she had to remind Superman of himself, his powers, his friends, and his enemies if she wanted this to be over more quickly. She told Superman that the space they were in was a place that he could train to use his wonderful powers as well as a place where he could refigure out himself. And so the time in the chamber began. The only people who knew exactly what was going on were now stuck in the room, not to be let out until Superman returned to normal, which (hopefully) would not take over 48 hours, but these changes were as extremely unpredictable as there ending time was. Melissa braced herself for what could be a long couple to few days in this chamber that only a select few knew about. Her main concern was the return of Superman's memory, no matter what the cost to her personal self. Melissa always tried to put others' needs ahead of her own, even at the cost of her personal self.

Meanwhile, Batman and Robin were having a crisis in Gotham City, and they required the help of the Superfriends, and so they sent out a message for help to come immediately. Aquaman and Wonder Woman responded as did the kids, but no one heard from Superman, which was a tad unusual. They figured that he must be on another case with Melissa at this point. Therefore, they did not think much of the two missing because Melissa had reported to Robin via a coded communiqué that they were busy taking care of another emergency, but would not say where. (It was not a complete lie as Superman had come to help that young family prior to losing his memory.)

Little did they (The Superfriends and friends) know or suspect that the reason that Superman and Melissa did not respond to the calamity was due to Superman's current condition, which could be vital if he was not closely monitored until the terrifying effects wore off. If Superman did not even remember his own secret identity, his own past or even his own name (Kal El, Superman, and Clark Kent), there would be no way he would ever remember Batman, Aquaman, or any of the others, nor would he know what to do during an disaster as he remembered very few to none of his superpowers. (The reason that they did not go to the Fortress of Solitude was that Melissa did not know the way, Superman did not remember, and if she asked Batman, the Superfriends might suspect something and follow them). Besides, Melissa was not one to ask for help, as the Superfriends had stumbled upon at one point.

Melissa and Superman had to rediscover all his powers, an undertaking that was extraordinarily daunting as he had numerous powers to rediscover. Well, the first ones to be tweaked were lifting heavy objects and flying (separate and together). One thing that really needed to be worked on was landings, as Melissa had a few painful bruises from the last couple of times Superman flew her (with his amnesia) and landing roughly – which Melissa showed the confused Superman, who felt bad for causing them. She encouraged him to keep practicing despite the fact that she had a few bruises. She used that to remind him how people on earth were more vulnerable than he was (as well as demonstrating on him that he was mostly invulnerable with different objects). After working on that for a while, she decided that he should practice his visual super powers. Fortunately, for Melissa there was a leaded outfit to protect her when Superman had to practice his x-ray vision. As for his other visual powers, those were safe enough for Melissa to help him with without utilizing protection.

Meanwhile, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman had just completed taking down one of the Joker's fanatical crimes and schemes with help from Aquaman and friends. As the rebellious and cackling Joker was being led away in handcuffs, the Superfriends gathered and began wondering what kind of undertaking that Superman and Melissa would be on that would not allow them to respond to this crisis, as Robin told the rest of the weird coded communiqué that he received from Melissa about Superman and her assignment. Batman and Robin suggested that they go back to the Hall of Justice to check to see where the last place Superman went before he and Melissa headed out on this new duty. The others agreed and headed back to the Hall. They could not know that the emergency that Melissa and Superman were taking care of was related to Superman and the meteor that was now sitting in the middle of a cornfield in Central Illinois, too small to detect by ordinary earth methods.

Once the Superfriends returned to the Hall, they got to work trying to find out what was going on. Batman and Robin learned that Superman had been summoned to Central IL, and they realized that Melissa must have called for Superman after Robin and the kids left. They were not exactly sure why she had called or called Superman as Robin was still near, but learned that she was in a different small town in central Illinois when she called. They could tell by the fact that the signal showed that it was outside Decatur, where Melissa's apartment was, by about at least 6 miles or so. This left the Superfriends curious to just what exactly had happened and why Melissa would call Superman (who was far away at the time, in Hawaii) and not Robin (who was still nearby in Bloomington, IL).

At first, they all wondered why, and then they learned why. They noticed on the news that a young family had recently been saved from a burning apartment thanks to Superman. However, no one knew how or why Superman showed up just in the nick of time to save the family and there were many speculations – as no one knew that an honorary member of the Superfriends team lived right in the heart of boring Central IL. All were just glad he had showed up in time to save those who needed his help. The Superfriends knew it was not unusual for Superman to just show up somewhere; however, just showing up in the middle of Central Illinois for an apartment fire, where he was unfamiliar with the area, was a little strange, especially when it was not where Melissa lived. In addition, they realized why Melissa had called Superman instead of Robin. There would have been no way for Robin to rescue the young family from the fire without Robin risking his own life. Melissa had assessed the situation correctly from their standpoint.

After hearing and watching the news story, Batman had a hunch that Melissa had something to do with it, and he noticed in the broadcast a figure slowly walked away from the scene without notice in the far distance, at least to all the people at the scene as well as many of those who saw it on TV. Only Batman's trained eye caught the slow movement (Melissa had a propensity to plod exceptionally leisurely and meander when she walked). Using freeze frame and zoom, Batman was able to tell that this mysterious person was Melissa. This gave Batman and Robin quite a few clues before they headed on their way. Melissa had summoned Superman to save the family, but that was done – so where were these two friends of theirs now? The fact that neither could be communicated with raised the level of concern amongst all the Superfriends and the kids.

Therefore, while Batman and Robin headed for Decatur and Melissa's apartment to unearth more clues to the baffling mystery, Wonder Woman and Aquaman scoured the globe for Superman, but were unable to locate him. Wonder Woman and Aquaman noticed in Justice League monitor that Clark Kent was still going to work at the Daily Planet, and acting normally like Clark would (except for answering Superman calls). Something just did not add up. In addition, Aquaman and Wonder Woman ascertained that Melissa had vanished, from Batman and Robin. Something was not right and so Aquaman and Wonder Woman worked in the Hall of Justice to try to find more clues to the disappearance of Melissa and the confounding appearance of Clark Kent, as well as a couple unsystematic appearances of Superman that summarily came and went. The kids were wondering if Superman had taken Melissa up to the Fortress of Solitude because something had happened and that the mission was so secret, the others were not notified. Batman hastily checked the Fortress (as he was the only Superfriend who knew of its secret location), but found it had not been entered recently. Now what were they going to do?

After some long sluggish hours had passed in the chamber, Melissa grew tired and she asked Superman to come over to her. As he drew near, she drew a long necklace with a small jewel of green k on it from her cross necklace and hung it around Superman's neck. He complained of some pain and some weakness and she explained that she was tired and did not want him to leave here and possibly get out and hurt himself or someone else. In addition, since Superman did not wish to harm anyone, he complied with her request, enduring the agonizing pain that the Kryptonite caused.

He took her explanation as it was (even though she had told him he was invulnerable, as long as he was under a yellow sun and not a red sun, to everything except to Kryptonite – due to being Kryptonian – and certain magic) and he too went to sleep, as his body now needed it with the presence of Kryptonite. (Little did Melissa know that this exposure would make him slightly more resilient to Kryptonite's effects, but never completely immune as he would always be of Kryptonian heritage). She just knew that he had to remain here until the Red Kryptonite effect wore off, and since she was not Kryptonian and invulnerable, she required a sufficient amount of sleep to be capable of functioning properly.

After both woke up from what seemed like a short siesta, they went back to training. Superman was still trying to remember who he was and what was going on as he continued to practice his powers and heard Melissa talk about all the things he did and he was prior to losing his memory. Since it had now been about 24 hours since the incident happened, Superman was getting better with his powers and starting to remember certain little things. While she had him practice his X-ray and Super vision, Melissa always wore lead shielding over her body to protect herself and to prevent him from peeking, which she informed him that he was not a person who would peep through clothes (especially on women) unless absolutely necessary (which was extremely rare).

Additionally, Melissa demonstrated to Superman to enlighten him that lead is an excellent shielding from Kryptonite, particularly the green variety, and she demonstrated. He was glad that there was a way to protect himself from the Green K. (She also told him that his visual super powers would not see through lead, either.) Additionally, she told him that a yellow sun and lesser gravity gave him his powers and should he ever find himself near a red sun, he would lose all his powers and become like an earthling under the yellow sun – no powers and vulnerable to attack. She told him that the reason for this was that on the planet he was born on, Krypton, revolved around a red sun and with a gravity stronger than here on earth – hence his wonderful powers.

However, Melissa still had to continue to use the Green K (without giving Superman a lot of leaded protection except just on the little bit of skin where it sat so he was not burned by the kryptonite) because she had to keep him in the chamber because his memory was still not back up to full yet. It was her only weapon to keep him from harming others or causing other problems and she only used it when she absolutely had to (only while she really needed to sleep). She did not want to cause him pain, but if he got out in this condition, he may not remember what he is supposed to do and he may get used to do something illegal. She knew that the people trusted Superman because he was shown to make the right decisions, especially when the right decision was not the easy one. One misadventure could put Superman in a very precarious position, and so Melissa prevented that by keeping Superman in this chamber built to help him.

She still put the necklace on him when she slept (which was not very often). He was not fond of the necklace after the first time of wearing it especially after she told him it was his biggest weakness (among a couple others), but she told him for now it was essential. He frequently would wake up before her and rouse her to request that she remove it so he could practice and relieve the pain it caused him. She would carefully take it off, and stay awake while he was practicing (although she would occasionally catnap when he was really involved in practicing one of his powers even though he would often wake her up from these catnaps to see if he was performing the power correctly).

Superman had no idea what was going on outside in the real world, but Melissa kept it that way for an extremely good reason. But prior to having him come here, she had him activate one of his Clark Kent robots to hide his secret identity. That was definitely a good thing as Melissa knew Lois, Superman's girlfriend, would have gotten suspicious if Superman and Clark Kent both mysteriously disappeared, especially both without a trace or a word. She hoped the robots were doing ok since Superman gave somewhat vague yet somewhat explicit orders. She knew that the Superfriends were probably wondering where she and Superman were, but she could not contact them due to the room being soundproof to the outside world.

The Superfriends were not sure as to what was happening as no one had seen Superman or Melissa in the past 24 hours plus, but reports came in that Clark Kent had been going about his regular routine. Moreover, Superman would show up with Clark a couple different times, and helped several other occasions – but this Superman had not responded to the Superfriends call for some unknown reason and was rarely around except in Metropolis. (Melissa had forgotten to explain to the robots via Superman to help out the Superfriends when needed – well, one person cannot remember everything especially when one is handling an emergency). This puzzled the Superfriends and so they looked into it (the one big defect in Melissa's plan).

Batman and Robin drove to Metropolis to pick up Clark for questioning. Batman approached "Clark" and asked him to come to the Hall of Justice with him. Clark went along without a fight (the robot recognized Batman as a friend and knew not to reveal Batman's true identity), and rode with Batman and Robin to the Hall. The robot knew that the Superfriends must be puzzled by what they were seeing (Clark going around perfectly normal) and what was not happening (Superman not helping the Superfriends). Things just did not make sense. Clark was around but never responded to help calls. Something did not add up and Batman and Robin, as well as the others, were determined to find the underlying cause of it. The robot realized that something was amiss when the Superfriends approached him to ask questions, as usually they would not need to question him because Superman would have told them exactly what was going on. On the way to the hall, the robot silently recalled to himself the instructions he received as he figured they might have a clue that Batman and Robin could start from.

Once at the Hall of Justice, Clark revealed that he was just a robot (built by Superman – so in essence, a Super robot that had all Superman's powers, but could only perform the role of Clark Kent) strangely summoned by his master to cover for him, and the couple of times he needed help for friends, he asked another robot to help him. Batman asked the robot if Superman had said where he was going. The robot said no, only that he had been told that he needed to cover for the missing Clark Kent while Superman would be gone, and that he had the power for the time being to summon a Superman robot should it be necessary. Batman knew this to be very odd, as Superman would have told his teammates that he would be gone (as well as his robots), although maybe this was an emergency. The clue that Superman sounded a little different from usual to the robot gave Batman and Robin their first real sound clue to the whole mystery.

The Clark Kent robot secretly called for a Superman robot to join him in the Hall of Justice and then the Clark Kent robot told Batman it sounded like Superman had been coached on what to say in terms of orders, in which the Superman robot concurred. That comment alone sent the Superfriends into a panic. Who would coach Superman? Why? Who had taken him? Was he trapped somewhere and held as a hostage? What was the missing piece that kept eluding the Superfriends in regards to finding Superman (and Melissa)? Last of all, why had no one heard from Melissa since that one time when she said that she and Superman were busy? Could someone be holding both of them hostage? The Superfriends beefed up their search to find their missing friends. They doubted that Superman was captured prior to activating his robots, as they were sent to protect people. The sudden cut off of communication and no explanation were the bizarre keys that vexed the Superfriends.

Additionally, Robin learned that he and the junior members were the last ones to see Melissa on the night she disappeared, and no one had seen her since except Superman and he was missing now, too. Robin knew that he had done nothing to her as he had witnesses, but he still was concerned for her and himself – a new feeling for Robin that he did not quite get as of yet. Something just did not make sense, but no one could quite put a finger on it. Melissa never just disappeared, and that heightened the anxiety. Melissa was known to check in with someone daily, an avenue that the Superfriends had yet to explore.

And no one thought to check the basement of the Hall because nothing that happened to Superman ever merited a visit down there – that and no strange fingerprints were in the Hall of Justice and no fingerprints were on the door that led downstairs. (Melissa wore special gloves that she took into the room with her). Besides, even if they did check, there would be no way of knowing that Superman and Melissa were in that room (thanks to Superman's ability to fly, Melissa using gloves, the room was soundproof to the outside world, and the door would only open if Superman were present). (The door would only open from the inside if in use, but there was no indication so that if someone broke into the Hall of Justice, no one could get in to this chamber and cause problems).

Meanwhile, in the soundproof, lead-protected, extremely roomy chamber beneath the Hall, Superman continued his training and re-learning things that he had learned while he grew up, particularly flying as that is one of the last skills he had mastered when he was younger. Melissa was trying her best to help him and encourage him along. She looked at her Superfriends wristwatch, over 24 hours had passed since the comet induced exposure and he was slowly coming back to the Superman she remembered. He was getting better in using his powers and was starting to remember certain things (some that she did not know), but not enough to be let out of the chamber they were now in.

She hoped that this would not last too much longer as she was not sure how much more she or he could stand being down here. She never let on that this was just to protect him. He would not understand, at least not yet. She just wanted to help him return to the Superman (and Clark Kent) that she and the world knew. She also talked about the Superfriends and such so that he did not forget about them. She also had him practice flying and lifting her up so that he got used to the idea of landing gently, especially with someone or something he was carrying. She hoped that her influence would not affect him in a negative way, but she knew that once he snapped back to normal, it would be partly because she helped him.

After 48 hours, the Superfriends became really concerned, and Melissa was really starting to tire out from lack of sleep and from boredom, and the food left in the room left a lot to be desired, the room had a kitchen but the food was things that Melissa had never tried or never ate. She lost weight since she ate less and Superman encouraged her to exercise with him, although he was in much better shape. She had expected the effects to wear off by now, as she had learned many previous experiences had only lasted 48 hours, but the length was as unpredictable as the effect the Red K would cause. She just had to keep going until he proved that the Red Kryptonite effects had completely worn off. She always asked him the same questions that if he had gone back to normal, he would have known immediately the answer to (she knew the answer too) but so far he had failed the test. She kept hoping that the effects would wear off soon. If not, the world might be in serious trouble. When would that stupid Red K wear off?

Moreover, she knew that she could not keep him down here forever, as eventually he would figure out that they were shut in a room that prevented him from saving the world like he normally did. Of course, he did not remember that saving others was normal for him. He was gradually starting to remember that he was one to put in his life in danger to save others, but was not quite sure what that meant. Hopefully, he would return to normal soon, as Melissa was not in that great of shape from being down in this room with him. Something was starting to give, but what would crack first, the effect of the Red K or Melissa?

Additionally, Superman slowly began to discern that Melissa was having problems that she brushed aside when he approached her as she just said that he needed to keep working on things. Something was starting to not add up in the returning Superman's mind. Melissa seemed to declining a bit in energy and health, but Superman realized each time he asked, she would not admit to any predicaments, but say that he needed to work on something else – taking his mind off the fact that she was not doing quite as well as she could be (or should be). However, he kept practicing because of her encouragement, even though he was starting to sense that something was amiss. (Melissa also had him practice being Clark Kent, his alter ego). Even though Melissa tried to brush the problems aside, the returning Superman's mind started to suspect that something was up, but was not quite sure what to make of it. Maybe the answer would reveal itself soon.

Meanwhile, Robin and Batman went to Decatur, Illinois to figure out what had happened. They also asked if anyone had seen Melissa recently, but everywhere that they went, they found a dead end. They had spoken with Melissa's concerned parents, but Batman and Robin were told that her parents had not heard from her in a couple days, which was extremely unusual for her as they always heard daily from her. It seems that she had disappeared without a trace, even though she had called in sick to work from her cell phone, and the tower she had called from was located in the Decatur area.

Melissa's hospital floor director was extremely surprised when Batman and Robin approached her and asked about Melissa. Nothing the director said though provided much help to the Dynamic Duo, who hurried on to search Melissa's apartment area. They even tried contacting Melissa's friend up in Minnesota, but the friend was no help as the friend stated she had not spoken to Melissa in about 3 or 4 days. They went up to visit her to be sure, and the friend got the shock of her life when Batman and Robin actually showed up on her doorstep. The friend told them all the information she had, but her information could not help the Duo get any closer to solving the mystery. There really was nowhere left for Batman and Robin to turn to in order to find answers in this direction. Where could Melissa have gone that would cut her off from everyone she knew and loved and why?

Later at her apartment, they found her car parked somewhat strange as if it had been placed on the ground instead of driven and parked, as well as finding a slight hole in the pavement near her apartment complex, but they were not exactly sure how it fit into this mystery. The car could be from Superman flying Melissa home, but where did the imprint in the ground come from because Superman usually landed carefully enough not to leave impressions? Was it possible that something happened to Superman that Melissa did not want the Superfriends to know about? That possibility angered Batman a little, as to why she would do that and could she be turning against the Superfriends. Robin gave Melissa the benefit of the doubt as they did not have the whole story as of yet.

While they were figuring out about the car and the impression, Robin was starting to worry that someone had kidnapped Melissa and he was determined to find her no matter what. Maybe Superman was off to save Melissa after she was kidnapped, but something about that possibility seemed absurd. Maybe, they thought, something had happened to Superman and Melissa was searching for him. Who knew? Moreover, why were the others not told about the situation? (No one had monitored Melissa's movement through her watch, as all were too busy, and now her signal was blocked by something).

As the 72nd hour gradually (and finally) approached, Melissa was sound asleep and almost completely out to lunch, although it was an erratic sleep on a not so comfy couch, as she was exhausted from the lack of sleep she had been getting while taking care of her comrade Superman. (The room did not have a bed and so Melissa had to find something else to sleep on). Even though she was young, her human body required sleep in order to function properly (earthlings tire, what can I say – Kryptonians on earth do not). Superman suddenly woke up with a jolt in the chamber, slightly perplexed as to where he was and then he instantly recognized where he was, the specially built chamber below the Hall of Justice. Something weird must have happened, or maybe he was imagining (or dreaming up) the whole thing. He knew that he had to determine what exactly was going on. Very few things that he could imagine of would merit a visit to this place of entrapment.

However, when he tried to get up and stir, he suddenly realized that he was in quite a bit of agonizing, excruciating pain that was shooting through his entire body. He looked in the small mirror that was located in the room and saw the cursed necklace with a small amount of green K had been placed in an awkward position around his neck, he assumed by someone who wanted to weaken him and possibly do him in, but who and why. This was the lowest of low in Superman's mind – to ensnare him and then expose him to Green Kryptonite. Who was responsible for this low-down, no-good, dirty rotten trick, he pondered.

Moreover, how did he or she get it past the stringent security of the Hall of Justice? He could not figure out how or why or what had happened. He tried to eliminate the choker, but was unable to do so, due to the awkward positioning of it. He was starting to really feel the effects of the Green Kryptonite and frantically wanted it off. He began looking around to see if he could possibly find out why he had this choker around his neck. In addition, he was incensed that someone would place the Green K on him, because he knew it was someone who knew this was his greatest weakness that put this on him and (he felt) wanted to exploit his weak point.

He looked over at Melissa, exhausted and fitfully attempting to sleep, and knew instantaneously that she had done it, and he was a little irked, as she had exploited his biggest weakness for her own personal gain, or so he thought. He was not sure why at first and was extremely upset with her, but when he remembered the specific instructions about this room and how someone had to remain down here with him, it became crystal clear why he had that Green K around his neck, although he was not sure how Melissa had slipped it into the Hall of Justice without the alarms going off. All he knew was that he was trapped in more ways than one and Melissa was responsible, or so he thought, as he did not remember that he had been out of it for the last three days.

Moreover, Superman did not realize how long they had been down in that room. He needed answers and he needed them right now, even though he could tell that Melissa had extremely little vigor left to the point she was almost passed out – something must have really drained a great deal of energy out of her as she was in ghastly shape compared to what he remembered of her. She had lost weight as well as had several large bruises on various parts of her body (mostly her back and legs) that he did not remember seeing before. His hope was that she had enough energy to take off the Kryptonite and free him from this safe house, which a little more like a prison to him since it stopped him from doing what he does best – saving others. Superman even was dismayed and saddened to see the shape Melissa was in, as he had no way of knowing what could possibly cause her to look like she looked. Although, part of him felt responsible somehow, he was not quite sure how. Little did he suspect the surprise he was in for when he asked her to remove the kryptonite necklace from his neck.

He did realize that Melissa had to sleep, as she was a normal earthling, and the Green K was the only way she found to keep him from going out of the chamber. He was impressed with her creative solution to the problem, but wished there was a less painful way (but he also realized that there was not much of an alternative, as Melissa possessed no magic, especially the type that affects Superman and Melissa was not even as strong as most of the Superfriends, and so she did what she could and used her brains to keep his brawn in line). Although, he soon realized that he was only slightly weakened by the Kryptonite to the level of an ordinary earthling, not to the stage of an invalid - even so it was still extremely painful. With pain shooting through his entire body from the small amount, he struggled a bit on walking over to Melissa. In trying to wake her up, he nearly fell on top of her and almost crushed her (as his Kryptonian body was much heavier than hers when Kryptonite was around) in order to prove that he was back to normal. He wanted to get away from the Kryptonite as soon as possible.

After he gently shook her arm, Melissa slowly woke up to see Superman lording over her, about ready to collapse on top of her. Before she could panic, he calmed her down, and then he explained that he desperately required the removal of the Green Kryptonite necklace from his neck, as it was no longer needed (this pleading request was different from the past few days and Melissa recognized that Superman's mind and memory must have completely returned). She slowly reached up (as she had little energy left), took the Green K away after a few tries, and quickly put it away in her cross necklace that she always wore, which was made of lead.

That was when Superman figured out how she slipped it in past the Hall of Justice's monitors, and that it did not affect her. She not only stated that she always kept a piece in there should it ever be required, but also told him that she had it mostly for if someone broke out of the Phantom zone or if he (Superman) went rogue from Red K exposure. He then understood why she held it in her necklace and why she did not want to open up the necklace in front of him one time when he came to visit (the regression fiasco). She could somewhat tell that Superman was back to normal, but she still had to test him with her questions. He passed the test with flying colors. Even though he past the test, she could tell he was mystified about what had gone on recently.

Moreover, Superman ascertained that whatever had happened had really worn Melissa down as she could barely stay awake long enough to take off the Green K, nor did it look like she could even take care of herself at this point. She looked like she was just going to crash and burn, as if something had almost exhausted the zeal and energy for life right out of her. He had never seen her so fatigued, and had no proposal as to why she could be so exhausted. Nor had he seen her this thin (not skinny but she had lost quite a bit of weight). Something did not add up, and she did not have the energy at this point to tell him everything that had happened, but pointed him to her notes and other records that she had made.

He was feeling just fine now that the Green K was removed from his neck and placed inside the lead cross on her necklace. Superman had no idea why he was in this chamber, but knew Melissa must have had a good reason, as no one would use this place unless it was absolutely mandatory. In fact, since the Hall had been built, this room had only been used one or two other times, but that was way before the Superfriends met the Wonder Twins, Marvin and Wendy, and Melissa, and that was when Superman split into evil Clark Kent and good Superman – and so Superman could stay by himself as the second person. That only lasted 36 hours, though.

While he recuperated, she explained to him (with the little energy she had remaining) a little of what had happened. She told him that he had lost his memory due to a comet made of Red Kryptonite that they had come too close to that night he had saved that young family – at least as much as she could due to her lack of sleep. He asked how long ago that was, and Melissa told him three days. He was utterly flabbergasted. He had no idea that this particular consequence had taken that long to run its course, as most only lasted 48 hours, or 2 days. And, as she told him that, as well as that she had recorded what had happened in here while he had lost his memory, she passed out from exhaustion, her overworked body trying to recover from the strain of taking care of an amnesic Superman.

After Melissa passed out from sheer exhaustion, Superman watched (as she had found a camera in the room) and read the records Melissa had made and could not believe all that she had done to make sure he returned to himself while not having done anything that he regretted other than not handling emergencies during that time. He could deal with that, as he read the diary she made stating she was more afraid that he would be used to do something illegal if he were let go to do as he regularly did. He also read the comment about how Melissa hoped the robots were doing their jobs well. What exactly did she mean by that? Moreover, would that cause any problems?

As he read on, Superman also learned that Melissa had asked a Clark Kent Robot to come fill in while Superman was out of commission to protect his secret identity that she wrote down that he forgot. (He saw what she had told him to call for the robots and the orders she gave to him that he was to give them and that he did not remember his secret identity). He was very impressed, especially since he never used robots unless it was an emergency – he was not even sure how she knew he had robots. Then he remembered that he had sent a robot once to rescue her in a precarious position. However, how did she know about a Clark Kent robot, as he had never used a Clark robot around her? He guessed that she must have assumed that he had one to cover himself.

Additionally, he also learned that she had him program the robot so he could call a Superman robot if it was absolutely necessary, although he saw the gap that she forgot to instruct the robots to help the Superfriends, if needed. He knew that this would be her downfall as Batman could use this clue to assume the wrong things and also realize that something was not right unless she told the Superfriends about the mysterious disappearance of her and himself. (He had to clear her, as she would be unable to clear herself once they left the chamber since she was in such poor condition.) Nonetheless, Superman now knew that Melissa had really had a plan after all that had happened, even though he did not approve of her using Green K against him, he realized that she had risked her own life to save him, in order to save the many.

He was impressed with her response to the situation and how she handled the problem blew his mind, except he learned that she had not told the Superfriends. While not happy with this, he figured she must have had a good reason – although he figured that Batman might think that Melissa might have turned against the Superfriends. Superman could not have that happen, as Melissa had just helped him during a time of crisis that most would not even attempt to help out on. He owed her at least the benefit of defending her actions as she was is no position to defend herself at the moment, as she was fragile, defenseless and exhausted.

Superman knew that he owed her more, but he did not know how to repay the debt, a debt that he knew in his heart that Melissa would never hold over his head, as she was one to help others no matter what the cost to herself was, that was just the way she was. Melissa had given completely of herself so that someone else could "survive." Superman knew from a previous experience that he could be hard to take care of (since Batman and Robin told him), and yet Melissa did it all by herself somehow, and the result was her just about sacrificing herself so that someone else can go on, in this case, someone who touches more lives than Melissa could ever dream of touching. In her own way, he could see that her thought was to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. It saddened him that she thought he was more valuable than her, because he was humble and it showed that she valued others more than herself. People might not need her, but Superman meant a lot to billions of people, or so he read from her record of goings-on. He almost cried at the fact that she wrote if she goes, few would miss her, but if he went, many people would lose a truly great hero, but he knew he needed to help her and that was what he was determined to do.

Now that he was better, he was ready to head out of the chamber. However, Superman knew he needed Melissa to release him from down here to not set off any alarms and so he gently woke her up so that she could let them out. After they were out, Melissa finally and completely passed out in Superman's strong yet gentle arms as clearing the alarms used the last of her energy and he easily carried her inert, exhausted, sleeping form upstairs (by flying) into the Hall of Justice. Her inert, exhausted, broken form, embraced securely for the return to civilized life. Superman now was ready to rejoin the world of the living now that his crisis was over, major thanks in part due to Melissa and all of her efforts to jog his memory.

Superman also carried with him the all the records and notes that Melissa had diligently and legibly made during the entire time they were down in the room to show his comrades, the Superfriends. He had to show them and prove her innocence to Batman and the others. He knew that no one else would be able to do it, especially since Melissa was not even capable of fighting her own fight due to complete and utter exhaustion from taking care of Superman on her own. Superman hoped and prayed that she would pull through, as she appeared extremely fragile and sickly despite her overweight form, and he was determined to see that she get a reward even though he knew she would want no acknowledgement for her selfless, altruistic act in order to save her friend.

As Superman stepped out the door toward the stairs, he realized that freedom tasted good. However, he also recognized that in her own way, Melissa had made the difficult, challenging, and altruistic selection of sacrificing her time, her energy, and almost herself to make sure that Superman returned unscathed. It was something that struck him as poignant – especially since everyone, including all the Superfriends and the JLA, always saw Melissa as a hard-hitting, no nonsense, straightforward, down-to-earth, driven, hardened yet caring, and independent individual who chose not to follow orders at times (fiery and rebellious in her own way). Up until now, he as well as the others always saw her mostly as a rebellious woman who had compassion for others, but rarely let it show. Little did they know what lied beneath the hardened, tough outer shell.

(Superman had not seen this side of her before, even when she took care of the Superbabies, as he figured every woman has a maternal side. He knew she was a nurse, but this length of altruism was much further beyond what she generally showed. Maybe now he could see a glimpse of what Robin saw in her, a truly compassionate individual who strived to serve others even through giving her life for her friends).

She was a hero in his book, even if she did not want to be called or honored as one. Superman knew there must be more to Melissa than he had originally assumed, as he looked at her inert, unmoving, slow breathing, humanly frail form curled up confidently in his brawny, burly, muscular Kryptonian arms. He just could not believe that she would do something like that. It blew his mind away, without any powers or training she gave her all to make sure he was rescued from his predicament, as she knew in helping him she was thinking of the greater good. Superman pondered all these things as he silently flew up the stairs with Melissa's inert form safely wrapped up in his strong arms. The amazement of what she did still fresh in his mind. As he flew closer to the main floor door, he could hear other voices in the Hall, and instantly recognized them as his good friends, the Superfriends.

In the Hall at the Superfriends' meeting table sat Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin discussing how on earth they were going to find Melissa and Superman with a Superman Robot, as they had been missing for 3 days now (even the robots were starting to become concerned). Moreover, the Clark Kent Robot had to fulfill his duty so that Lois and the rest would not get suspicious, and so he was left to run Clark Kent's routine back in Metropolis. The Superfriends were at their wits ends, fearing that Superman and Melissa had been taken to another planet and were being held hostage. They also feared that Melissa might be dead as the longer someone goes missing, the less likely they are to be found alive. Time was not on the Superfriends' side.

Unexpectedly, the Superman robot saw his master coming up to the meeting area but the robot did not say anything, as he knew that the real Superman would make his presence known at his own time. (The robot also knew that Superman would eventually tell the robot what had happened that he was called to help out with and it could wait). The robot, though, was not sure why Superman had approached the hall from the direction that he came as there were no doors to the outside that way. The robot did not know about the secret room below the Hall of Justice that was built to help revive Superman should something happen to him, and Superman was unable to get back (safely) to the frozen Fortress of Solitude. The robot also noticed that Superman was carrying the inert, defenseless, sleeping form of a young female human whom the robot did not know, but somehow understood that she was the only key to solving the whole mystery.

All of the sudden, Robin picked up a strange vibe that tingled swiftly up and down his spine, as if someone was staring at him that he did not see, and he slowly turned around to see where the feeling was coming from. As soon as Robin saw Superman carrying Melissa's exhausted, inert form into the hall, he jumped up and ran towards them, delighted that Superman was found, but Robin was seriously apprehensive about Melissa's bruised, battered, exhausted, and somewhat trimmed condition. Was Melissa still alive? What had happened?

The others noticed this leaving of the meeting by Robin and turned to find that Superman was carrying Melissa, who had passed out from sheer exhaustion and by the looks of her, had obviously lost some weight. They were very excited to see the two and all were interested in hearing what had happened. Superman needed to place Melissa somewhere to rest before anything else happened as Melissa had completely passed out from exhaustion in his arms, and he suspected she would not be aroused anytime soon. Superman found a soft, comfy bed and gently tucked her in (due to her numerous bruises, abrasions, and small lacerations) before returning to talk with the rest of the Superfriends. Robin, being the last one out, saw the look of pure unadulterated innocence of her face and could not help but wonder about Melissa's multidimensional personality and if she was going to pull through this time. He saw her chest slowly rise and fall as he left the room (after turning on a light and some peaceful music) and closed the door behind him. As he headed back to the meeting, he was really confused particularly regarding what had happened between Superman and Melissa.

While they had to wait to hear Melissa's story from her own mouth, they heard from Superman what he remembered, after he contacted his Superman robot to make his way back to the Fortress as soon as he could. The Superman robot flew away at light speed, happy that his master had returned and knew that he (the robot) was no longer needed. The Robot was glad to fulfill his master's place, but knew that when his master was there, he was no longer needed for that duty. The Clark Kent robot was not yet aware of the change yet, and so was still following Clark's normal pattern. Superman informed the robot that he would update him and the other robot at another time.

The remaining Superfriends were exceptionally interested to hear the story of what had happened. They did not like the fact that Green K had gotten by their detectors and defensives, but after hearing some of the story, they were fairly relieved it did. All were impressed by Melissa's forethought to have the robots cover for the incapacitated Superman, especially Robin and the kids. They were a little angry that Melissa had not told them, but figured Melissa would have a reason that she could explain when she finally came around. Although, most of them could understand that she might be unsure as to how to get the message across without making it obvious to everyone, including eavesdroppers who might take advantage of the situation. Superman could understand now why Melissa had kept a meticulous account of what had happened. He knew her mantra of "not documented, not done."

Superman did show the Superfriends Melissa's notes and recordings so they could see what happened and read what happened from Melissa's point of view. Superman (on Melissa's behalf) even calmed Batman's suspicions about Melissa by showing them the records Melissa had made while they were locked in the chamber – something that showed Melissa was not turning against the Superfriends, but was unsure how to tell them about what had happened without causing more problems. The stuff she documented was unbelievable – but then again she was a nurse. Some of it, however, made little to no sense, as they needed to hear the story behind it. It was incredible to read and see what she had done to help Superman.

They had to wait until the next day to hear Melissa's side of the story, as she was so tired that she slept for 20 hours straight and could not be awakened at all during that time. When she finally did rouse, she found that she was in the Hall of Justice surrounded on all sides by the Superfriends. Because they appeared to lord over her, she became a little intimidated as she was just waking up, but Robin came in, kneeled by her side to place his hand on hers, and reassured her that they were just there to check on her and to find out the rest of the details that had happened while Superman had amnesia.

After being helped out of bed (as she was still weak), Melissa began to tell her story of what had happened. Moreover, she filled them in on everything that she could remember. While some of the Superfriends were not exactly thrilled as to how she handled the situation (Batman, Aquaman, and Robin), they understood why she did what she did. When asked why she did not tell the Superfriends, she told them that she was not sure how to tell them Superman had amnesia without someone else overhearing and causing more problems. They understood now why she had taken it upon herself to help Superman – although they all agreed (including Superman) that she should have gotten help. All Melissa could say was that she was not sure how she would have been able to get help considering everyone was busy when it happened (and to cover up the fact that she just was not sure about asking for help).

Superman was a little embarrassed by what had happened that he did not know (or was not aware) about, and the rest of the Superfriends teased him a bit, particularly Batman, with friendly banter. Everyone was glad that this whole fiasco was over with, and no one was happier than Superman, who now contacted his Clark Kent robot to head back to the Fortress and took over his roles. Superman was even happier at the fact that it could not ever happen to him again. He thanked Melissa for what she did as did the other Superfriends. She demonstrated that she knew how to take care of messes especially ones that one was unprepared for, and how to protect the secrets of the Superfriends from others.

As part of saying thank you, Superman cautiously flew Melissa back to her apartment along with Batman and Robin so they could understand what they saw. They were all careful as the found out that Melissa was frightened of heights, not an unusual fear, (but unanticipated from her as she always seemed to like being able to fly when Superman was around, but then again, it never was exceptionally high off the ground). They flew on until they approached the dull agricultural flatlands of Central Illinois. Even Batman and Robin thought the area was dull and flat as a pancake.

Once they arrived outside of Melissa's apartment complex, Melissa began explaining what happened on the night that she and Superman vanished. Superman, Batman, and Robin stood around her while she delved into the details of that bizarre night. All were in for a shocker when they heard what had happened on that balmy spring night. Superman was not even prepared for what Melissa was going to tell. All Superman knew was that he was in Central Illinois and then later he was in the chamber below the Hall of Justice. (Yes, reader, Melissa did tell of how they got in down there without leaving a shred of evidence).

Melissa skipped the part about Robin and the kids visiting as she figured they all already knew about that. Melissa first explained that Superman had returned her to her apartment by flying her in her car after rescuing a young family from an apartment blaze in a nearby town. Afterward, Melissa had asked Superman to stay to give him a tour of the boring, flat area. While on that tour, Superman and Melissa closely passed a comet that had apparently contained Red Kryptonite, although neither knew that at the time. Superman remembered dodging the comet, but that was the last thing he remembered before he came out of the Red K induced amnesia, although his memory of the amnesia days was coming back into his mind slowly, but not all of what happened during the time was going to return to Superman's memory.

Melissa told them that she began to suspect something when Superman landed on the ground harder and less careful than usual, jarring her and giving her a small bruise on her back, which she showed to Batman and the rest. (Superman felt a little bad about that, especially now because she had several, some of which she explained came from when she was reacquainting Superman with his powers). She explained that Superman left the indentation in the pavement because of that. Robin made a comment of how Superman should be more careful with carrying people, Superman made a smart retort back (even though he felt terrible for causing the bruises), and all had a good laugh.

As for the rest of the story, it had already been told to the Superfriends. Batman and Robin knew that the car and the indentation had something to do with whatever happened, but they never thought about the real explanation that Melissa gave them although Batman came very close to that solution, but it was only a suspicion until Melissa confirmed Batman's suspicion. Batman also apologized for his unfounded suspicion that Melissa had turned against the Superfriends. All Batman wanted to do was protect his good friend. Robin, as well as the others, were just glad that everything was ok and things were now back to normal.

Soon, (though not soon enough in Robin's eyes) Batman and Superman had to leave as they had cities to monitor as well as places to be. Robin asked if he could stick around even though he was to go on patrol with Batman, just to make sure that Melissa was safe and doing well – as she was still recovering from taking care of Superman. Robin knew that taking care of Superman could be a very daunting task (as he and Batman had done it several times and both were tired afterward, and that was with two people, not just solo). Batman and Superman took the subtle insinuation and left, laughing and knowing exactly why Robin wanted to stay, and neither could blame Robin if he really had affection for Melissa, which both thought was a little strange (although Superman understood better than Batman). Melissa was not sure why Robin stayed, but she was glad he did, as she as starting to really have affection for him as well. They now had more of a chance to get to know each other.

Robin did more of the talking while Melissa did more of the listening, they stayed up late chatting away, and Robin learned a little bit about whom Melissa was and some of her likes and dislikes. Melissa learned a lot about Robin (Dick Grayson) and she knew she had to keep everything a secret, as he still needed his secret identity. Melissa also showed a side of herself that Robin was not expecting to see, a more relaxed but sensitive, feminine persona emerged. For some unknown reason, Melissa and Robin, or Dick Grayson as his secret identity was called, really had a connection that they could not explain. The chemistry was definitely there. Melissa felt new feelings that she had never really felt before, but kept them at bay so she could make sure that this was not just another infatuation. The thing is though, she could always use another friend, so she tried to get to know Robin better.

It was at this time that Melissa innocently mentioned to Robin that her favorite state was Minnesota and that she loved the winters up there, as she loved the cold weather particularly the snow. Robin, not knowing if it would offend her to say he was not quite as fond of the cold, said nothing other than he would not mind visiting Minnesota and changed the conversation.. Robin did not realize that Melissa had started opening some of herself up to him as he had started unknowingly opening up himself to her.

Robin finally was realizing that there was more to Melissa than just what everyone saw, and he began to like hearing and seeing what he found out about her, although he could sense that she was holding some information back, just like he was, to make sure she could trust him. What neither could know at this point is that this meeting would be the key to finding Melissa in a later adventure. Robin would later hold the key that would solve a mystery that would save the whole world. Who would have thought, getting to know someone could lead to the key to being able to solve what seems like an unsolvable puzzle?

Melissa was hoping that soon, the Superfriends would see her as more of a team member than an honorary member. She had proven she would be there in a crunch. She had outdone herself in helping Superman just out of the goodness of her heart and her desire to help others who need help. Soon it was time for the Superfriends to prove that they would be there for her in a crunch. For not too far in the future, Melissa would desperately need the Superfriends help, although she would be unable to ask for it in any way they expected. In fact, by the time they would find her, she would not be able to ask for help at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Compassion and Mercy**

It was a snowy, dreary, blustery, frosty winter day as Melissa set out to her most beloved vacation spot in mid-Minnesota in quite a rush but not enough to lure any unwanted consideration. Yes, reader, although it was in the very heart of a bitterly cold and blustery Minnesota winter, Melissa was heading up to her favorite spot to watch the pure white snow as it fell on the ground already blanketed with the several inches of the frozen white stuff. Packed in her small, inconspicuous car were the few meager worldly possessions that she had left after what had just happened to the world and her life on the run.

She was on the run, running scared, and desperately in quest of a place to hide from her malicious, malevolent, immoral constant pursuers. She had already tried many of her other hiding places, but kept being discovered and chased out, barely escaping with what little she had, which at this point was not much more than her vehicle, her existence, what little she needed to operate her automobile, and her Christian faith along with her resolve, wits and fortitude. Yes, readers, she was in an ominous situation, trying her best to survive in a world that had changed seemingly overnight, shifting from cold and cruel to frozen and sterile. Her desperate flight was not without its own battle scars or red badges of courage, but she ignored those in hopes that she would be able to outlast and outwit her maleficent, depraved pursuers. Her desperation was swiftly heading in a dreadful direction that Melissa could not see, as she now had what was known as survival tunnel vision, only seeing what she needed to do to survive.

Before too long, she arrived at her ultimate destination, at least in the interim. Who knew if she would require moving on, but right now she was so exhausted from running that she desperately needed a place to recuperate, and this well hidden, snow laden location in the middle of northern Minnesota seemed like the perfect locality. It was near one of the many thousands of lakes in the state. Melissa summarily made her way into the cozy cabin where she would dwell, one on the remote side of the lake where the cabins were a little more veiled in the brush, made specifically for seclusion (while not being too far from aid should it be essential). She needed to rest as she had been absconding for a while, how long could only be guessed as Melissa spoke to no one unless obligatory, and even then the person could not discern any nonconformity on her part, which was extremely imperative. Right now, her only hope for hiding securely remained here, in the frozen forgotten snowy woodlands and untamed forests of Northern Mid-Minnesota, which surrounded picturesque, exquisite, scenic concealed (frozen) lakes. This particular place she used as a last resort. She knew that if she had to leave here, there was almost nowhere else to go that would be a familiar safe house.

After swiftly and promptly arriving at the lakeside chalet (which looked similar to all the other bungalows around her) that she typically stayed in, hurriedly unpacking her few meager possessions that she had on her (and had managed to save), and swiftly setting things up, Melissa finally had some uninterrupted time to take an extensive, forlorn look out the ice-frosted, snowy window. Through her hurting heart and tear-filled eyes, she saw the world that now seemed hostile, unwelcoming, unsympathetic, malicious, and discouraging, and she let out a profound mournful sigh, not knowing for sure if she would even be protected here. She held unwaveringly to the genuineness that nothing was ever hopeless, but it was getting harder and harder to keep believing that resolute conviction as more time passed and she was getting weaker and weaker. If she could not reach assistance soon, she might die or be terminated.

However, she thought it would be better to expire that way than be destroyed by her pursuers. The necklace she always wore kept her going as it said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." She knew God would never lead her where he could not keep her, and while her faith did not waiver, her body was slowly breaking down in sheer physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. In fact, it was God who was helping her escape and keeping her safe, as He knew she would be needed to help the world. In fact, God was the only real reason that she was able to outwit, outlast, and escape from her terrible pursuers.

The frigid, moist white fluffy blanket that now covered the barren, desolate landscape (in her eyes) made things look not only a little sparkly but also somewhat depressing and frosty, as if the life of nature was slowly slipping away. (The blizzarding snow was blowing around and had long since covered her tracks.) The exposed, bare tree branches dressed in ice and snow spoke volumes in terms for how Melissa felt, although she still held out hope for a better tomorrow, a time when the world would return as it was and she could stop running and tend to her wounds. The eerily frozen lake outside shone and shimmered dimly in the moonlight as the ice on the surface mirrored and reflected what little moonlight there was into her hurt, saddened, crying blue-gray eyes. Brackish tears fell from her jaundiced, hardened, bloodshot eyes as she realized that she might be running out of time. Everything appeared dismal from her restricted point of view. Limited vigor and abilities prohibited Melissa from being as vivacious as she typically was. Being on the run had rigorously shortchanged her energy intensity, especially now since she was injured in multiple locations.

She was absconding and desperately sought refuge here after all that had happened to her, a surreptitious place where almost no one could find her and no one knew where she was. It was an extraordinarily isolated region and not located on any map except by those who knew where it was. The flames in the hearth burned enough to warm the cottage (enough to keep her from freezing) that she was in, and she had added steel fixtures to the edifice to protect herself should someone try and find her and to keep the heat in so that she would not necessitate as much firewood or fire; hence reducing the obligation to depart the protected cabin. She had recently visited this charming cabin a few weeks ago and had enough food to last for a short time as well as a few amenities (little did she know at the time that she would be using the place as a safe house). She hoped to get help before she ran out of time. (Bruce Wayne had given her some capital for her birthday one year and she had invested in land up in this particular region, buying a cabin and land on the beautifully secluded lake).

Her body condition required the stipulation of her to be rescued and helped, as she desired to be sheltered from those who pursued her, but she had nowhere to turn and was too afraid to try to request any. Her body was battered, bruised, beaten, burned, bloodied, scraped up, scarred, as well as having a few spots with small open wounds and lacerations that were just now coagulating, cherry red blood still stained on her clothes (all her own from being on the run – several small wounds still bleeding as they had not had time yet to congeal and coagulate). She could feel herself losing strength, but knew she needed to be robust and remain resilient as possible to stay ahead of the game and not let her pursuers win. She was determined to endure no matter what it took. She hoped and prayed that she would make it. Nevertheless, as each day went by, she never knew if she would be able to survive the day as each day brought more and more anxiety, trauma, and weakness. Her stress level was though the roof and had she taken her vital signs, she would have noticed that they were through the roof too. A human body can only take this amount of strain for so long before it starts to fatigue and starts to shut down. Melissa was not only on the descending side of the anxiety slope, but also on the downhill side of the shutting down side as well.

Additionally, since her pursuers had taken over the all airwaves as well as all forms of communication, she could not correspond by any known means without being found out and terminated (changed to have no empathy – which would kill her typical wonderfully fiery and multidimensional individuality). She shut down her SuperFriends' signal watch as a consequence of the communication devices it had between her and the Superfriends, which she thought could be traced to her. It could give her away. Her heavy heart sank as she realized that she alone had to shoulder her burden. She had finally discontinued and disconnected her last remaining contact and connection with others, others who actually might be able to save her from the quagmire that she was in. Her only companion was her Christian faith (hope comes with it), and she relied on it profoundly. She was existing exclusively on her faith, her resolve, and her determination to subsist (which, while it was sturdy, it still could not last forever and the strain was beginning to show on her stout frame, especially in her countenance and eyes. She did eat and performed other basic necessities, but that is given).

Even the sparkling moonlight seemed too muted in her round, tear-filled eyes, a small beacon of hope that Melissa hoped meant that she would at least be sheltered here for at least a little while. She had a remarkable endowment of compassion and forgiveness that had sparked intense rage and abhorrence in her pursuers who wanted to be rid of what they considered the "pointless and insignificant" traits of caring for others. Melissa did not know where to turn for help. Even her family and friends could not help as they had all been captured in an effort to lure her out from hiding. She also knew that the only way she could liberate her family and friends was if she remained at large. She had nearly lost everything just to subsist in the cold, cruel world, which had just grown colder recently. Her only form of human reprieve would have to appear in the form of the Superfriends, friends that she could not contact for trepidation of being found by her pursuers. She candidly did not know if they were still even free. She could only hope and pray that they were still free and could find and help her, especially now since she had no way to contact them and she knew she was starting to slip away.

Meanwhile, as Melissa was wearing out, the Superfriends surreptitiously met in the Justice League Satellite far above the earth, disturbed about how the world was changing (after Superman had called an emergency conference to discuss the pandemic). Present at this meeting were Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman, and Robin. Other heroes were on outlying missions and could not be reached (little did these present Superfriends know that they would soon get more help as two heroes finished up their imperative missions and were heading back toward earth completely oblivious of the catastrophe that had just occurred).

They were deep in discussion when the Wonder Twins excitedly burst in with Wendy and Marvin (as well as the animals Wonder Dog and Gleek) with information of what was happening below. Even though what had happened left the earth in grave peril, there was one diminutive bright spot on the radar. Apparently, there was still someone left in the world that had a bright spark for compassion and mercy, just like the Superfriends – only this person had no special powers. The shocking news was that no one was able to locate this person as she had managed to evade every form of capture, somehow always managing to get away, although she occasionally left a few drops of blood at a scene, but nothing that would allow the Killjoys to capture her. This made the Superfriends wonder, who on earth would be able to evade and survive this horrible ordeal? Who would have that much survival instinct to elude each and every means of capture?

When, out of curiosity, the Superfriends asked for a name of this person who has been elusive, they were astonished to ascertain that this person was Melissa, a woman that they had met some time ago and had helped saved the world in her own small way by protecting the youthened Superfriends as well as the amnesic Superman. They knew that she was an imaginative survivor, but did not realize that it was to this extent. They thought back to the last time that they spoke with her. And suddenly, they all realized that it had been several days if not a couple weeks since anyone had seen her or spoken with her. This was starting to spell disaster, since Melissa had a habit of daily checking in with somebody whether it was friends, family or one of the Superfriends (especially Robin).

She had told them that she was going on a vacation and would be back after a short while, but had not reported in like she usually did (which the Superfriends had been too occupied to discern this up until now, including Robin) and had not reported in for approximately 2 weeks or so, which was not like her at all. She daily checked in with somebody (mostly her parents), but nobody had heard either hide or hair of her in 2 weeks or so, and they had been too industrious to keep track of her. They also learned that many of her friends and family had been captured. This tipped the Superfriends off that something was extraordinarily erroneous. She had shut down her watch as well as anything else that could be traced to her location, and the Superfriends started to become even more concerned for the newest member of theirs. She had not told them a lot about herself and had a penchant to assimilate. And, that was just a start. They knew that because no lines of communication were free, she would be unable to contact them directly, but they had no idea how grave the situation actually was for her.

After learning about Melissa being the solitary runaway and survivor and figuring out the plan of the killjoys, the Superfriends decided that they first needed to find her and safeguard her while they straightened out what was happening with earth. She could be the key to returning things back to normal. In addition, being a team member meant that you helped those of your team in need. It was odd that they were not able to notice her watch signal. Melissa had, unbeknownst to her when she turned off her watch, turned off the tracking mechanism as well (as she did not know that the watch had a tracking mechanism). The Superfriends realized that this meant she was in much graver peril than they were aware of previously, for you see she never turned off her watch unless she was afraid that communication with the SuperFriends or anybody else would jeopardize her very life. She had only turned it off once before and they found her in a near death situation. The Superfriends needed to act now or all might be lost for this newest member of theirs and possibly the world. And so the group split into pairs and headed off in desperate search of the weakest (at least at the time) member of the team.

Superman and Green Lantern quickly flew above the surface of the earth, each attempting to inconspicuously scan half the globe, a task that was little bit easier for Superman than Green Lantern. Wonder Woman and Aquaman swiftly left in Wonder Woman's invisible jet to try to find her checking over land and under the seven seas. Batman and Robin left the station in the Bat rocket, hoping that they would be able to find her. All were thinking that if only they knew more about her, she might be easier to find. None yet knew how important one member of the team was going to be at this point. All were concerned with the fact that she was missing and on the run from somebody or something deadly. How were they supposed to find her in time? They knew her time was short, but how short was it actually? Of that, they could only guess, and they knew that if they guessed wrong, everything and everyone was in jeopardy.

Once Batman and Robin clandestinely reached the ground, they decided to split up so that they could traverse more ground more rapidly. Batman took the Batcopter while Robin took the Batjet. They had decided on a code word between them should one find her before the other, but not something that might tip off her pursuers. Off went Batman, hoping to find her in time. He was worried, as he knew that Melissa and Robin were friends. Batman had no idea how close Robin and Melissa actually were as friends. Batman just knew that Melissa needed to be found and the sooner the better. Batman knew that Melissa was not one to give up easily, but he knew she was not strong enough to last for long out here on her own. Batman also never realized how much he and the others felt like a father type or mother type mentors to Melissa until she was in trouble and relying on them to rescue her. It constantly amazed him and the others how much independence and resoluteness that Melissa had, yet it also amazed them that she would seldom call for help unless she was in dire need. However, since Batman knew he must locate her, he was unable to dwell on the previous idea any longer.

Robin took off in the opposite direction of Batman in order to cover more ground in a shorter amount of time as they figured there was not much time left before she would either succumb to physical body failure or be captured and destroyed. Robin, who had gotten to know Melissa better than anyone else did, thought about all the things that he and Melissa had chatted about. He always remembered her being cheerful, supportive, compassionate, merciful, and willing to listen. She always protected those who could not protect themselves, and even those who could most of the time protect themselves but found themselves in vulnerable situations, which had included the amnesic Superman and the youthened Superfriends.

Why and how she had grown to do this, Robin could only guess, as he had no idea what her past was like. She never spoke about her problems and always tried to be cheerful, even when something was obviously bothering her or excruciatingly hurting her, (Robin could see it in her eyes). Her primary focus was helping others and putting herself last, something that was frequently helpful, but could be exceptionally detrimental particularly to her. Robin had been trying to get her to take care of herself more so that she could be more helpful to others. It was a complicated mêlée, of course, and Robin had no idea why, at least as of yet. Little did he know that the extreme pain, anger, anguish, sorrow, grief, and agony she hid were the indescribable agonizing secrets she held deep inside her battered, wounded, bleeding, broken heart.

As he covertly searched the ground below, Robin thought back to one particular conversation that he and Melissa had after the amnesic Superman escapade where she mentioned that Minnesota was her favorite state due to the freezing winters they have up there and winter was her favorite season because it was frosty and when her birthday was. He relived the past conversation and it flooded his memory, he could hear her talking to him about Minnesota. Was it possible that she was hiding somewhere in the Land of 10,000 lakes? Robin hurried to remember for sure about the conversation in his mind, and then he knew that he needed to contact the others first before someone accidentally gave her hiding place a way. Robin knew she was a bit of a survivor due to how she helped last time, but was not sure about how long she would be able to last this time being pursued and all. After Robin determined for sure in his mind that she had mentioned Minnesota to him, he knew he needed to send for the others to join him at a secret location. His advanced knowledge may mean the life or death for the newest member of the team.

Meanwhile, Green Lantern was scouring his side of the earth; there was no trace of her. Apparently, she was still in North or South America, as he had no luck finding her anywhere else. He did not want to alert anyone that they (the Superfriends) were looking for her, so he decided that he had to quietly go and find Superman to see if he had had any better luck finding her with his x-ray/super vision. Green Lantern hoped that they would be able to find her and save her in time. What also concerned him was that they did not know her well enough to know where she could possibly be. Green Lantern was seriously concerned, as he knew humans could only last for so long before something bad happened. And since Green Lantern had not located Melissa, he headed for Superman's position in space.

At another undisclosed point in space, Superman was using his super vision and x-ray vision to see if he could pinpoint where she might be located. He had scanned all over South America and found no trace of her, at least with what he could detect. By the time Green Lantern met up with Superman, Superman had scanned all of South America and all of North America save for a few states, such as Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota (and a few parts of Canada, but that's not exactly important). Green Lantern told the Man of Steel that he had not located Melissa, and Superman told Green Lantern that Superman hoped they would find Melissa in time. All of the sudden, Robin came on the radio calling to all the Superfriends as he had an inspiration where she could be located, but they would have to be extremely discreet.

Instantly, every one of the Superfriends flew inconspicuously to Robin's covert position, converging unobtrusively so as not to give away what was going on. Unknown to the Superfriends, the Flash and Martian Manhunter had received the message too and were soon meeting the others at the rendezvous point, surprising the Superfriends, but reinforcements were a welcome sight, as always. The Superfriends quickly described the present circumstances (without going into too much detail) to Flash and Martian Manhunter. Then all followed Robin to a classified location. After finding the most surreptitious, hushed space, Robin told the group something that he had remembered from having a discussion with Melissa. He told them that Melissa and he had gotten to be good friends, so much so that she had told him things that might help the Superfriends. The others were enthusiastic to heed what Robin had to say since it appeared he knew Melissa better than they did, well giving their age similarity it did not surprise most of the SuperFriends.

Robin mentioned that Melissa's favorite state was Minnesota and that she would almost certainly be hiding somewhere up there, especially now that it was a pleasant, cold winter, Melissa's favorite season and the number one reason why she loved Minnesota (besides the fact that she was born there, which no one knew – including Robin). Batman mentioned that Melissa bought a cabin up in Minnesota with some money Bruce Wayne had given her, but he did not know the exact area of the cabin. In addition, Robin mentioned that Melissa would be alone as she was used to protecting others, regardless of the threats to herself – as shown by how she "took care of" the Superbabies last time the Superfriends were in huge trouble and received her help and when she took care of Superman. This piece of information made the Superfriends tremendously alarmed. Then Batman spoke that if they all rushed into Minnesota, it would put Melissa's safety and possibly her life in jeopardy, as her pursuers would follow the members directly to her hiding place. Aquaman mentioned that they would need to proceed into Minnesota unobtrusively, and not in their uniforms until Melissa was found and safe. Speaking once again, Robin gave the code word for finding her "Lead" and suggested that the friends move off in pairs.

Meanwhile, while the Superfriends were attempting to locate her, Melissa prayed and cried. Hoping against everything that she could be found before she was taken and changed or worse killed for having compassion. She had already lost her family and many of her friends to the machines that they use to change people and her friends were captured (except the Superfriends, which she did not know, were still free). She could hear the eerie, cold wind blowing outside, and it offered little comfort, adding more so to her feelings of isolation and lonesomeness. She had chosen this place because it really let her blend in, and it was her favorite spot. With the subzero weather, when she went out she had to bundle up, so no one could see her face or recognize her (it was so cold that any exposed skin would quickly become frostbitten). Here, in her little cold paradise she was shivering in hopes that someone would find her and rescue her. At least she had made it here, but she was not sure if she would have enough strength to keep going. She was also at her last known option (that she could get to) for hiding from her deadly pursuers.

Her head profusely throbbed in pain from all the tears she had cried, with only her faith to console and comfort her. Her overweight form tightly curled up on the daybed in an attempt to keep herself together. Her will to survive was thriving, but she was beginning to physically wear down and, unbeknownst to her, was quickly reaching her breaking point, and possibly passing it. She hoped here she could relax for a while and recuperate her limited strength before she had to move on to another "favorite" spot, one that she did not know at all. After double-checking all the locks and making sure that all the security measures were in place, she read her Bible, curled up on the soft couch, and fell into a deep, but troubled sleep. She had no inclination that the Superfriends were trying to reach out and locate her, but she held out hope that someone was going to rescue her, even if she could not ask for it (or was too weak to ask, as the case may soon be). All she knew was that if she did not get help soon, she would drown in her problems and may not survive. "Oh Lord, God in Heaven, please help me" was her constant prayer. Melissa did not know that God had answered her prayers, but it was going to take some time to find her as God had hidden her for the time being and was watching over her.

In the meantime, Melissa's pursuers were cursing and swearing at being unable to locate their quarry, and were becoming extremely aggravated. These Killjoys were hunting down people and changing them to have no compassion or mercy for their fellowman. They were happiest when no one cared for anyone but him or herself. This one bright light in this woman they never expected. In fact, to go near her, they had to wear special gear or her compassion and mercy would kill them, not only that but it also could revive those who were put through their malicious machine. For some unknown reason, they only understood the darker emotions such malice, evil, and hatred, and were literally killed with kindness, but they had developed a special suit to wear to get near people who had this gift and either change them or kill them. They only killed if the person could not be changed (which seldom ever happened but might in the case of this elusive woman as she incessantly frustrated their every endeavor to incarcerate her).

For some reason unknown to them, this woman had always escaped their grasp and her power of compassion and mercy was much stronger than any they had run into before, and she must have known how to escape from different things in order to survive this long without being caught. They could not figure it out, and it aggravated them to no end, as they knew if she was still alive and on the loose, she could somehow overturn what they had worked so hard to achieve. These Killjoys did not realize that Melissa was even a stronger enemy that they thought because she was directly connected with the Superfriends. These Superfriends were seen only as legend and folklore to the killjoys; hence, they did not believe any of the Superfriends were real. This is something that would take them by surprise later and come back to bite them in the butt.

Meanwhile, Clark Kent and Hal Jordan swiftly rode a train to Minneapolis. As regular citizens, no one recognized them at all. So, these two started looking all over the city without drawing any unwanted attention to themselves, not exactly the easiest task. Diana White and Arthur Curry had taken a boat up the mighty Mississippi toward Lake Itasca. These two started exploring around the Lake Itasca area, as they had to start somewhere. After hearing that Melissa had relatives in Minneota, Barry Allen and John Jones headed there by car, not knowing if she would return to relatives or not and also not realizing that Melissa was the sole survivor that had not been changed (hence she would not go to relatives). Maybe they would have some ideas where she could be.

Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson (who was like a son to Bruce) took a small private plane up to mid-Minnesota near a private airport that was located near a cabin that Bruce Wayne owned and often used when he wanted to go hunting in the untamed wilderness of the Minnesota woodlands. Bruce was relying on Dick's memory of the conversations that he had with Melissa to find her. Dick did not realize it at the time, but some force (God) was leading him in a specific direction even though he had never been in the area before. Unknown to all, Bruce and Dick were the closest to finding the severely injured missing woman. All they knew is that they had to find her sooner rather than later.

Melissa woke with a sudden and panicked jolt. For a panic-stricken moment she had no clue where she was and she remained as still as a mouse, as she was not much of one to scream when she was afraid. No, she did not scream, she got mad that something was wrong. She looked around anxiously and only saw the familiar cabin. She was relieved only enough to check all the security measures only to realize that no one had come near her or had found her. It suddenly occurred to her that if Superman was going to find her, he would not be able to see through the steel real well, but she knew if she took it down, she would be too vulnerable, as she learned that her pursuers would die if they came too close to anything made of lead or iron.

Moreover, since most of the buildings around her had some lead or iron in their construction (steel to be precise), it was a safe place to hide for now. She again fell asleep, only this time it was a much more fitful sleep as she knew day was quickly approaching when, to sleep, she would need to be in the bed and not on the couch or people might be suspicious. So far she had done a good job hiding, but she knew one little mistake could be the end of it all (and the reason she slept during the day was that her light only sparked bright enough to be detected by their machines was if she was near a pursuer and was awake. Besides, the pursuers only could work during the day, as nighttime made them severely weak and vulnerable).

Clark and Hal had no luck in the Twin Cities and began to search the Metro area by car. Clark had begun to think and mention that if they could get a small portable device that only they could read that would track her, they might find her faster. Hal suggested that for now, they just look here, as they do not want to draw any attention. Clark realized then that if they had the device, they would give away not only her location, but also their secret identities. Oh well, even Clark (Superman) Kent is not perfect. Therefore, they continued on, being discreet in using their powers trying to find Melissa. Where in the world could she be?

Diana and Arthur had no luck in finding Melissa where they were. Arthur's fish friends had not seen anyone in weeks, since the lake had started freezing over since the ice-fishing season had not started yet. Diana's telepathic power did not work, as Melissa was not an Amazon, like Diana. Melissa was also one to shield herself really well against attack or prying – only J'onn could get through, however, since he did not know the woman, he could not make contact with her. Hoping aboard a motorcycle, Diana and Arthur took off to find Melissa, stopping occasionally to get Arthur water. Hurriedly, they were approaching the hiding spot, although they did not know it. They drove along at a quick pace but not fast enough to draw unwanted attention. The same force, God, who was leading Robin, was leading all the Superfriends to Melissa.

Barry and John had reached their destination, finally. They glanced around the small town, unaware that their presence had been noted, that was until a citizen of the town told them to get out of the way. Stunned, Barry and John let the man pass. They wondered what was going on, but knew they needed to try to find Melissa's relatives. You see, these two had been gone from the earth long enough not to know that the Killjoys had now taken over everyone but Melissa, but they knew enough to stay on guard as the Superfriends had briefly filled them in on the situation. While they located the relatives, they were no help as they did not care where she was. This was alarming as the two realized the extent of what the Killjoys did. John and Barry then moved on, heading toward Mid-Minnesota in a northeasterly direction. Even though John had telepathic powers, since he had no idea where Melissa was or what she was like, he could not use them to locate her. And since John did not know her personally and had never met her, he did not know how to track her. Unknown to them, they were the third closet, after Bruce's team and Arthur's team.

Meanwhile, somewhere in rural mid-Minnesota, Bruce and Dick were unknowingly moving closer and closer to the missing woman. Heavily bundled up in thick parkas as well as other winter garb, Dick suddenly realized that this must be close to Melissa as a powerful wave of confidence built up inside him. He ran up to Bruce to tell him about his suspicions. Bruce responded that if Dick knew Melissa so well, he should lead the way. Dick did so willingly. About 30 minutes later, Dick and Bruce came upon a row of cabin's surrounding a picturesque, exquisite, magnificent, scenic, ice-covered hidden lake. Dick knew instantly in his mind this must be where she is (as he had a deja-vu feeling of having been here before even though he had not been to this lake or cabin set before), but he walked calmly to avoid giving away her possible hiding place. Bruce noticed the slight increase in adrenaline, but said nothing.

Soon, they found the cabin, somewhat hidden in the secluded brush on the far side of the lake. Peeking though a first-story window, they found Melissa passed out and curled up on the couch after obviously having a crying spell, and in especially appalling shape. She looked like she had cried herself to sleep out of fear as she had a weapon clenched in her hand, so much that her hand was slightly bruised and bloody, the blood still fresh and dripping. The scars, lacerations, burns, battle scars, blood on her clothes as well as her body, as well as other bruises told a disheartening, heartbreaking story about her short life on the run from her dreadful pursuers. To look in upon her was saddening, sickening, nauseating, and appalling, especially for Dick who although knowing her better, had never known her to be scared or feel vulnerable enough to resort to hiding with this much-increased security and a dangerous weapon gripped tightly in her hand (a pair of sharp nursing scissors). He had never seen her or her body so broken either. How she had ever survived, Dick could only guess, as she looked like she should not have made it this far. Even with her nursing skills and determination, Dick and Bruce still could not figure out just how she survived to this point. However, they also knew that if they did not rescue her now, she would not last much longer, as they could tell she was on the downward slope of her health.

Bruce and his ward immediately figured out how to bypass her tricky security system, which was a slightly trickier than they expected, to reach her, as she desperately needed medical attention as she was still bleeding from a few spots that she had not noticed, as they had been recently induced when she had passed out. Her pulse was somewhat thready and racing and her respirations were fast and shallow. She obviously had been so stressed and panicked that she had passed out and was still experiencing a panic-filled nightmare; her body was stressed to the max and quivering. They knew she had finally reached far beyond her breaking point. They knew they had to get her out of there and to a place where she could be treated and rest safely. But how to move her without causing any more problems was a definite conundrum. But Bruce and Dick talked it over and reached a solution to get her out of the cabin, but how to tell the Superfriends about her poor shape was even harder to figure out. All they knew was that they needed to get her out of here now. She needed medical attention and she needed it yesterday.

Moreover, the Superfriends would have to protect her from her pursuers that had caused her to have problems like this. She was so weak at this point that anything more stressful might just kill her if she did not get rest and protection. Dick's fury was raging as he could not believe his eyes, but Bruce told him he needed to calm down and focus on the task at hand – getting Melissa to safety and medically treated. Before they carried her out, they gave her a sedative and carefully bundled her up extremely gently in blankets as she had already loss quite a bit of blood. Then, Bruce and Dick carried her out to their vehicle and quickly made for the Bat-multicraft, which at this point was secretly stored at Bruce's cabin, which happened to be only a few miles down the road. Dick was seriously concerned that Melissa might not make it long enough to survive her injuries; it was apparent that she had lost quite a bit of blood as well as could possibly have an infection ravaging her frail overweight body. She really looked in bad shape, so much so that Bruce decided that Dick should stay with her should she not make it on the trip back to the JLA satellite. Now Bruce had the responsibility of informing the others of the huge blow. Moreover, he was left to wonder if they had reached her too late to save her.

All of the sudden, the rest of the Superfriends received a call from the Bat-radio "Code lead, Code lead." Each of the Superfriends was glad that she was found, but knew that the word code in front meant that something had gone seriously wrong or something was seriously wrong with Melissa. All quickly found a secret way to change to their hero costumes and discreetly made their way up to the watchtower. It must be horribly appalling if Robin called the code (while keeping Melissa alive in the background) as Batman was flying the "ambulance" to the tower while trying to prevent unwanted attention, which was an extremely delicate maneuver in addition to letting the Superfriends know about the find.

After all arrived back on the watch tower, Batman lead the others to the sick bay where Robin was watching over Melissa, whose heart rate was still racing, although not as high as it had been and was still passed out from all the stress and pressure on her. She looked so broken and innocent as she was sedated and restrained, a way to finally give her true rest as they needed to get her pulse, blood pressure, and respirations down. Her wounds and burns (as well as other battle scars) were bandaged and her cuts were stitched up. In addition, she was receiving an antibiotic, as her system was so overworked that she was extraordinarily vulnerable to disease. She also had a tube in her throat to make sure she was breathing while being sedated. She had several IV sites that were getting fluid and blood into her system. She was so beaten , banged, and bruised up that she was barely recognizable. The Superfriends were in total shock. They could only wonder why anyone would want to go after Melissa; all she did was strive to bring happiness to others as well as help those in need. While the rest of the Superfriends left to discuss what needed to be done, Robin stayed with her to make sure she got better. He knew she might panic if she woke up in a strange place, as that is what many people tend to do, although Melissa's reactions were not always predictable when it came to this (as well as many other things).

In the meanwhile, unaware that she was dreaming, Melissa found herself in place where she was trapped and terrified. Worst of all she could not move. Something was approaching her, something shadowy yet vaguely familiar. However, in her panicked state, Melissa did not recognize the shadowy figure. He spoke words, but they were mumbled and could not be heard. Then she felt herself being picked up and dragged away (or so it played in her troubled mind). She also saw a second larger shadowy figure that mumbled, but familiar as it was, it did not register in her mind. All she knew was that she was now a prisoner, of whom she did not know. Her head hurt, her hands hurt, as did most of her body, but she was still alive, barely, but alive nonetheless. She broke down crying, as she feared she was at the end and all was lost. Although she would be happy to see Jesus, she did not want this to be her time. She felt she was not ready to go, and struggled to use her overstretched will and prayer to survive this.

As the dream started to fade, she started waking up. She opened her eyes and wanted to scream as she realized that she could not move. She wanted to scream, but no sound could come out as she realized that she had an endotracheal tube down her throat, a device she knew was used to help people breath, but that knowledge scared her even more. She thought she had been captured by the killjoys as she no longer recognized her surroundings and it looked like a lab that she was in. She knew of the fact that they always studied specimens before torturing them and changing or killing them as she had seen it with her own eyes. Additionally, the killjoys would not change someone unless they were healthy. As the goal was to rid the person of the good human emotions, not kill the person. She was having a panic attack since she did not know she had far passed her stress breaking level point.

Robin, noticing that Melissa was waking, and he realized that she would be freaked out and frightened, so he headed toward her left side, as he knew not to approach her right side from experience (he had surprised her once by approaching her from behind on the right and she decked him hard after she jabbed him with her elbow). Robin was holding Melissa's hand and speaking gently to her in hopes that she would not wake up and try to scream. When Melissa was almost fully awake and having a panic attack, she squeezed Robin's hand exceedingly hard, as she was terrified, and she was about ready to attempt to scream. Her blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing shot up way too high. Robin tried to calm her down, but had to give her sedatives again to relax her, as she was extremely inconsolable. She fell back asleep, looking like she had an aura of peaceful innocence around her once again, although to look at her and know her one would know that it was only because she was asleep. Those who knew her well could see the pain and wisdom in her open eyes, wisdom from the pain of which no one yet knew about.

Robin knew that it would be best for her to sleep as she had been running and always had to protect herself, and so never really got a chance to rest her body, which was really worn down from the stress and the fact that she tried to protect everyone but herself unless necessary and she has a real hard time asking for help. Robin also removed the tube from her throat as she was breathing more normally now. Robin notified the others that Melissa had awakened, but that she had to be sedated again quickly because she had freaked out majorly. All of the Superfriends were even angrier than when they found her, but knew they needed to control their rage. The Killjoys were destroying the world and she was their last chance to help light the compassion spark back up. If she did not survive, the world would be a selfish world full of greed, too much for the Superfriends to handle.

After letting the Superfriends know of Melissa's condition, Robin headed back to the sickbay. He could not believe his eyes. Her face looked innocent as a newborn, but her body looked horrible. Her strong, graceful arms were bandaged from shoulders to the palms of her hands due to all the lacerations she had on her arms. Her muscular legs were caked with dried blood and bruises could be seen where caked on blood had been removed, and bandages covered the areas where there were also more lacerations. Her frail yet swollen legs were supported by pillows, as were her extremely edematous arms. Her more trimmed condition necessitated constant supervision. She required being turned every two to four hours. Her torso had its own share of cuts, bruises and burns that required constant care, both on the front and on the back. Every once in a while her whole body would tremble and shake, even in the soft restraints, as if her body was having a seizure. Her fingers that had been cyanotic were now returning to their normal hue. Her bandaged, swollen face held a relaxed expression, despite the puffiness left from tears and stress. A bag of blood was slowly dripping in one arm while fluids were pumping through the other, each arm with an intravenous site or two to make sure she could get enough fluids. She needed no C-collar, but she did need to be turned every 2 hours, which Robin (with help) did, and did it gently to make sure not to injure her any further. Her daily cares had to be done by someone else and she required a foley as well as a pad. She truly was so out of it that the nurse had now become the nursed, in order to make sure she would survive.

Robin wanted to cry and scream, but he knew he couldn't because she was unknowingly depending on him (as well as the others, but Robin took on the majority of the care) to be her last form of fortification. Robin went up and softly started chatting with her while gently stroking her edematous countenance. He noticed that when he was close, her blood pressure dropped and resumed normality as well as her other vital signs went back to normal, although her heart rhythm seemed to slightly increase when he was near, but he did not realize or know the reason for that. And, because he wanted her to recuperate, he stayed nearby. She had to get better, he hoped and prayed. The intravenous fluids that pulsed through her arm seemed to be helping her recover. She had not eaten yet, but Robin knew it was only a matter of time, plus she needed to be awake before she could eat.

In the midst of their discussion and after learning about Melissa's episode, the Superfriends discovered why Melissa was such a hazard to the Killjoys. Her compassionate, passionate, and merciful personality was so resilient that it could easily exterminate a killjoy or more if they got too close. Killjoys only understood the darker side of human emotions. Now that the Superfriends had Melissa protected, they could shield her from the killjoys while searching for the machine to obliterate and reinstate order. They also learned that this machine could only detect human traits, so the only superheroes who were vulnerable were Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, and The Flash. Since Robin wanted to stay with Melissa, he was the last line of defense before Melissa would be taken. The remaining seven went in search of the machine. They had made a plan.

Superman and Wonder Woman quickly soared over the United States, as they knew that would be the primary location for these Killjoys. A country that would let them be free and go about their business made the most sense. J'onn and Green Lantern also were scanning the United States, the Eastern Half. Finally, Flash, Batman, and Aquaman looked again in Minnesota. They believed that the culprits might be near there since Batman figured they had barely gotten to Melissa in time. Robin remained behind, watching Melissa as her pulse slowed and her breathing returned to normal and watched her as she actually slept for the first time in who knew how long. She looked peaceful and innocent, and if one did not know her, you would not think she had had any pain in her life (although to look in her eyes while awake and now her ravaged body would tell a completely different account).

Soon, all the Superfriends were once again in Minnesota, although they were near International Falls, in the northern most part of Minnesota. As the heroes searched around the town, a couple of strange beings crept up and captured Wonder Woman and The Flash, stealing them quickly away. A little while later, Batman and J'onn were captured by the alien invaders. Now the race was really on, as the only heroes left were Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Robin. Superman called to regroup. A meager force remained, which consisted of Superman, Aquaman, and Green Lantern. The only ones that Superman was apprehensive about were Batman and Flash as they would be extremely susceptible to the apparatus, although he figured Batman had a better chance of surviving than the Flash because Batman had a tough mind to crack and was a little more on the cynical side of things (at times).

Robin received the news of the capture, and gave information that Melissa was now just sleeping peacefully, although she was not completely out of the woods yet. That news was relief to the Superfriends, as they would require her later on, but now the crisis was to rescue the others. This was a commission that they were not just sure how to handle, except for the fact that Batman had left a clue when he was taken. A clue that only Superman would perceive as it required super hearing. The rest of the team then followed Superman. They had to rescue their comrades as they could give away where Melissa was and destroy the world.

As Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and J'onn the Martian Manhunter arrived at a nondescript structure, they could all hear the sound of machines going. Machines that they assumed were the culprit to what had happened to the world. Wonder Woman and J'onn knew the Machine would not work on them, but they had concerns for Batman and Flash. In the eerie, pitch black edifice, each Superhero was placed in a specific prison that would hold them. J'onn was taken first to the other room where one could hear the wheels turn. J'onn did not fight, as he knew it was important to find out exactly what was going on so that the Superfriends would be able to find it. (The Wonder Twins, Wendy, and Marvin helped Robin take care of Melissa. The kids would force Robin to take breaks every once in a while).

Unknown to all, J'onn telepathically called to Superman for help and gave the location as the signal from Batman had long sense faded. Superman and the other Superfriends quickly burst into the building. The startled Killjoys immediately went into battle with the Superfriends, something they had failed to anticipate as they still thought that the Superfriends were just folklore legends. Superman went to break the machine, but just before he broke it, a stray flicker hit the Flash. All of the sudden, while the rest were fighting, Flash just ran off, not concerned at all. All of the Superfriends realized what happened and immediately rounded up the Killjoys, and had Green Lantern transfer them to the intergalactic prison from whence they came. The Leader of the Killjoys had hopped into Flash's body, determined to complete his dastardly mission of ridding the earth of every bit of compassion and caring for other humans, not caring what happened to anyone or anything else.

While the Superfriends finished up, Flash was on his way. He now had the mission in his mind that Melissa, the happy-go-lucky do-gooder, needed to be gone. Moreover, the killjoy who had taken over Flash's body knew he could be protected in this body so long as Melissa, as he now knew the woman's name, was not awake when he approached her. And with Flash's super-human speed, he figured no one could stop him. Little did he know about the surprise in store for him. And it would not come from the Superfriends, but from a source that was severely weakened, but was recovering slowly.

Superman and the others headed out to stop Flash, as they knew they had to stop him from doing anything to Melissa. Superman and J'onn flew quickly back to the tower, in order to warn Robin. Batman and the others searched on earth to attempt to prevent Flash from getting to the tower. However, Superman and J'onn arrived only after Flash had already arrived on the watchtower and was headed for sickbay. There was no safe way for them to prevent him from getting to Melissa or fully warning Robin without exposing everyone to danger. Only Robin stood in the way now. (Since the killjoy was not good with speed, Flash was not as fast or as sharp as usual).

Unaware of what had just happened, Robin had removed the restraints on Melissa because she was peacefully resting at this time. She was not trying to pull any tubes out or screaming. She was sleeping, which is exactly what she needed as she continued to get fluids, but no more blood as her color and oxygenation sats were much better. Her body was less swollen and she appeared to look better. The caked on blood had been removed and all her cuts and burns were dressed with dressings and were slowly improving. The foley was removed although she still needed to be turned every few hours. The best part, though, was that she was improving slowly. And just after Robin sat back down for his watch, he heard a strange sound that apparently was headed straight to where he was. He prepared for the worse as who knew what had happened.

Suddenly the door to the sick bay ripped open and in stepped Flash. Robin put up a heck of a fight as he could tell that Flash's body had been commandeered, and although he was defeated, it bought enough time for Melissa to wake up fully refreshed and at her brightest in terms of compassion and mercy (although it would be short-lived as her body and energy was not yet up to 100 percent yet), especially when she saw the Robin was starting to lose his battle. As Robin lay kayoed on the floor with Flash looking smugly over his inert form laughing, Melissa snuck up behind Flash and gave him a great big hug, in which she grabbed him from behind and almost fell on top of him. Almost immediately, Flash's body convulsed and the killjoy came out and died trying to escape. Flash passed out in Melissa's arms as Robin swiftly came around. But soon afterward, Melissa passed out again, her weakened body unable to stay awake any longer.

Superman and J'onn had come just in time to see Melissa hug Flash and kill the killjoy, she did not mean to kill the killjoy – it just happened that her compassion and mercy was too overpowering for the killjoy to survive without protection. Superman related the happy news to all the rest of the Superfriends, just before Melissa passed out again in the quickly revived Robin's arms. Saving Flash and Robin that time had taken all her limited strength and stamina. It also demonstrated the compassion and mercy that she had that the killjoys hated with all their being. Flash had no idea what happened as he slowly woke up in the sickbay, not remembering how or when he had gotten there. Then Robin told him what happened, and Flash was humbled and surprised by what had happened. He had never really met Melissa before and was shocked that she would be willing to sacrifice herself like that.

As Melissa slept once again in the sickbay bed, the Superfriends had another meeting about how to return the world to normal as Melissa could not hug everyone (nor would she want to, as Robin knew). Superman came up with an idea of a machine that would not take the traits from Melissa but would take some of her traits and amplify them in a ray that could be sprayed over the world. The only thing is that it would only work on those who were transferred to callous by the other ray. It would not change the people who were already egocentric and self-centered. All of the Superfriends agreed and together they built a wonderful invention.

The only thing they needed now was for Melissa to wake up long enough to place the invention on her, as her compassion and mercy would be the charging battery for the invention. They needed her to remain awake at least 30 minutes, which was difficult at this point. However, due to Melissa's strong will she was able to make herself stay awake just long enough to supply the invention, before once again passing out from sheer exhaustion. The Superfriends then put Melissa back to bed and aimed the charged invention at the earth. After the Superfriends restored the world, including freeing all of Melissa's family and friends that had been captured, the SuperFriends came together to wait and talk to her. They were eager to hear how she survived, especially Flash, Green Lantern, and J'onn, as they were not part of the last episode the Superfriends had with Melissa.

Robin finally announced that Melissa was no longer sleeping and was awake enough and stable enough to ask and answer questions. Robin by started by asking if she knew where she was. She acknowledged that she did in fact know and was ready to thank the Superfriends for saving her, though they were quick to point out that she saved Flash, Robin, and herself at the end. And while the rest of the Superfriends asked Melissa questions, Robin was there to help her if she needed it. She sat down as standing for now for a long period of time drained her energy too swiftly. The Superfriends took it easy as they knew Melissa was still worn out from all that had happened.

She told them that before they had found her she had been on the run for at least 2 weeks and had almost no sleep in that time, at least not restful, as she was always fearful of being discovered. She had silently and secretly watched as all her closest family members and friends were captured, most if not all being turned into the egocentric, insensitive people and had gotten in several fights and struggles where she received all her wounds and burns and such. She somehow managed to stay one-step ahead of the Killjoys (thanks to God). The Superfriends were once again amazed at her tale of survival, but also realized that Melissa had the spirit of a real survivor in her (if only they knew how much that was true).

Once all but the last couple Superfriends left, Aquaman, Superman, and Robin stayed behind to chat with Melissa just about things to hear her laugh again, as her laughter was particularly contagious. Robin knew when Melissa was truly happy as he could look in her eyes and her eyes were even smiling, despite any pain that she felt inside. Melissa told stories that made the Superfriends laugh and vice versa. Her favorite story was when Robin embarrassed Superman with the tale when he had lost his memory and Melissa had to watch over him. Although, Superman told a story that got back at Robin with another story embarrassed Robin to the point that he turned bright red, but he came back with one of his well-known puns. And so it went on most of the night. All truly had a great time, and even a few embarrassing stories were told about Melissa, and she managed to laugh at them, though not quite as hard as Superman or Aquaman (Robin knew better than to laugh hard at Melissa's embarrassing moments as those tended to bring her more pain than joy – depending on the story). Finally, Melissa was her carefree laid back self (with her own fiery personality) that they were starting to really get to know her (or in Robin's case remember her as she really is).

Soon, too soon really, it was time for Melissa to finally go back to her home. Superman and Robin personally escorted her, after they dropped Aquaman off in the seas, since he did have a wife and a son to care for as well as a kingdom to look after and a young ally to check in on. Since Melissa was terrified of heights, Superman wrapped her up in his cape with Robin to keep her mind off the fact that they were flying up so high, and space is devoid of vital oxygen. Only Superman could fly through it without being affected. They landed on the ground safely near Melissa's apartment, and Superman flew off and left Robin (Dick) and Melissa alone, as Superman had to fly off to his nightly patrol of Metropolis. Even Superman knew when to take an incredibly subtle hint and get lost (wink* wink*). Melissa and Robin said goodnight to each other with a small kiss. Robin left in an exceptionally blissful mood because he knew Melissa was safe and he knew that it was because he took the time to get to know Melissa that he ended up saving not only her, but also the world from the Killjoys.

As he was leaving, Robin realized that he was far from Gotham City and needed a place to stay at least for tonight. He walked slowly back to Melissa's door, praying and hoping that she would let him in to her home for the night. Before he even knocked though, she opened the door and welcomed him into her comfortable little apartment. She knew that he was far from home and needed a place to crash. She secretly hoped he would come back and crash at her place. And as that night went by, Melissa watched Dick (Robin) sleep before going to her own room and falling asleep. She saw that he was only human yet what he did for her was more than Superman could ever do. Melissa treasured in her heart all that had happened. Finally, Melissa was able to rest knowing that at least someone would be there when she really needed it. And two people happy slept the time away, happier than before (one in the bed and one on the futon in two separate rooms). I will let the reader guess to whom that refers.


	4. Chapter 4

The Root at the Heart of the Problem

After the previous harrowing adventure when Robin nearly lost her, Robin decided that it was finally time to assist Melissa out by getting to know her better, much better than he knew her now. Melissa was an amiable, friendly, autonomous, considerate, compassionate, caring individual, but Robin could tell that something was definitely bothering her deep down inside her, no matter how much she tried to camouflage it (apparently Robin could see past the outside, unlike many people). Maybe, Robin figured, just maybe, by getting to know her better, the Superfriends might be able to help Melissa gain more trust in her new friends. It was definitely worth a try and Robin was determined to lead the way. Robin knew that there was more to Melissa than met the eye and he wanted the others to see some of what he saw in her. The trick was to get her to come out of her protective shell while making sure that she felt safe to do so.

Since Melissa had proven herself in the episode where Superman lost his memory, the Superfriends, partially due to Robin's strong persistence and insistence, decided to assist Melissa in a way she never anticipated. They were extraordinarily lenient and patient in working with her and began to appreciate that a whole other side of her personality was now shining brightly through, as they encouraged her to keep going. This aspect of her personality was much more outgoing and adventurous than her normal behavior that she had shown them so far, but still just as caring and compassionate, if not more so. What was the reason for this turn of events, the Superfriends wondered. The Superfriends had to question just what was with Melissa since they were now seeing a completely separate side of her personality, a much softer, gentler aspect as well, as if her more feminine traits were coming to the surface. Now, her tomboyish side did not completely vanish, but it seemed to back off a little so that her softer, gentler more feminine side could be seen. A side that many were not aware was extremely vulnerable and easily hurt.

What they could not comprehend was why it took so long to divulge this side of Melissa, an engaging, extremely delicate yet cheerful side – with a wholehearted, childlike liveliness and wonder as well as a fervent, passionate, fierce zeal for life, as well as an extreme exuberance that was seldom seen in her unless one genuinely knew Melissa. Little did the Superfriends discern that Melissa had a profound, disheartening, excruciating secret that aggrieved her more than words can articulate and so she hid it deep within her scarred, torn-up, battered, and bleeding heart. All they knew was that there was more to her than meets the eye, as if she was a brave young girl trapped in a scared, pained adult body with wisdom showing in the eyes, the wisdom that is only gained through suffering. The secret that she held in her heart was one of such immense and intense pain that she could not bring it to light and refused to bring it to light due to the anguish it caused her. Though the pain was from long ago, it still stung as if it were a fresh bleeding cut.

She desperately hid the forbidden secret in hopes that it would never again become known or surface unexpectedly, as she figured that if her friends knew, they would forsake her, as it seemed that some close to her had in the past (and some had used her weaknesses against her after turning on her, making her life even more miserable than it already was). Therefore, even though she still kept her secrets, she allowed the Superfriends to know more of her authentic personality, a choice she would later question, as she often did when she started showing her true self to others. Part of the questioning was due to her intense internal struggle to figure out which part of her was actually her and which part or parts were shields she put up to survive the torment and trauma that she devastatingly, excruciatingly, and agonizingly endured so long ago and had not dealt with as of yet.

Melissa felt rather awful and dejected that they had to rescue her from the previous escapade where she almost did not make it (because she was used to doing the rescuing, not being rescued by others). However, through that exact same petrifying adventure, she seemed to recognize that she might have found the person she was looking for. This person was a gentleman who would be compassionate, thoughtful, caring, empathetic, and considerate but also would have many of the other qualities that she sought. However, before she would be able to settle down, she would have to confront her melancholic, forbidding, heartbreaking past head on, a task that she knew could either make her stronger or kill her. She hoped against all hope that, when the time came to face it, it would not kill her. The Superfriends could assist, but only one person would be able to liberate her this time, and it was someone who had been there all along, knowing each sorrow, defeat, and agony as well as each individual trial and tribulation. Someone, to be honest, that Melissa sometimes forgot was, is, and will always be around.

This whole escapade all started out on the overcast, drizzling morning after Melissa had arrived safely home from the Justice League Satellite to recover from her numerous injuries from when the killjoys attempted to takeover the Earth, but they were defeated by The Superfriends, with a minute amount of help from a battered, bruised, broken, and bleeding Melissa. Her entire body was a wreck, to say nonetheless. She was bruised, burned, beaten, bloodied, and broken as well as bandaged (the bleeding had stopped and she was starting to mend), but that did not stop her from doing what she could, in fact she probably did a little more than she should have, but that was just the way Melissa was. Nothing was going to stop her from doing every thing that she could, and that included cuts, bruises, pain and the like.

She was stubbornly determined to bounce back, no matter what tried to stop her or get in her way. Melissa had learned very early on that obstacles were meant to be conquered (alone) no matter what the expense, for if one falls one has to pick oneself back up with no help from anyone else. However, this was not always the best way to go, as friends can help more than going at it solo. (Melissa still had to learn that not everyone was going to desert her the way some other not-so-good friends had done.) Therefore, even Robin had to gently restrain her a few times and remind her that her energy level needed to be rejuvenated. She was not one to allow others to care for her as she saw it as a sign of weakness that could be exploited. It took Robin quite some time to convince her that it was ok to allow others to help her, yet something deep inside her caused her to conditionally consent to the others helping her – as she was tentative of their intent but realized that she had no choice but accept the aid they generously offered her as they refused to take no for an answer.

It was at Melissa's unyielding and unwavering assertion that she would be fine (if not better off) being taken care of at her apartment that the Superfriends finally relented; ultimately letting her go home even though they knew she would require much more care. Melissa was exceptionally autonomous and resolute (much more so than was good for her), but had her key faults that the Superfriends could not get past or figure out why she was like that. Superman and Robin (as Wonder Woman was busy, Aquaman needed to get back to the seas, and Batman was on duty) had tenderly escorted an injury-worn Melissa home to make sure she got there unharmed. Robin had decided to stay to make sure Melissa was safe as well as having no further posttraumatic complications from her wounds and treatment, as well as from the amount of blood she lost. Melissa had forgotten at first that Robin had stayed and so she was somewhat shocked the first time that she got up out of her bed, which Superman and Robin had sweetly, gently, and carefully tucked her into due to the extent of her numerous injuries.

Some time after Superman had left (to patrol Metropolis and as much of the country as he could) and Robin and she had fallen asleep, Melissa abruptly awoke and slowly stumbled out of her bedroom after taking several minutes to get up from the welcoming, familiar bed, pain shooting sharply through her entire body in numerous different locations. She never realized how complicated it could be to be on the run – she thought to herself as she reminded herself to continue to breath through the pain, which was tolerable at best and excruciating at worst. Her bandages restricted some of her mobility, but she did what she could, hence why it took several undertakings before she was able to get out of her spongy bed, that and it was too early for more pain medications, something she wanted to avoid if possible (as many medications knocked her out).

She stumbled slowly and agonizingly across the room until she could rest and catch her breath in the doorway before heading out into the living room. Once in the living room though, she was startled when she noticed that Dick Grayson (Robin) had decided to snooze on her uncomfortable futon. (He was traditional and did not believe in sleeping in the same bed together until married and no one but her knew about the airbed that was not being utilized – well, no one had asked as it had been put away). She had completely forgotten he had stayed as she was coming out of a pain med induced fog.

She calmed down, though, remembering almost immediately that he had stayed to make sure that she had no posttraumatic complications from her situation and to make sure she was doing well. Dick still had his Robin costume on, but he still shook, as Melissa tended to keep her apartment a bit cooler than most people did and he did not have much in the way of blankets or covers on (and his Robin attire was not exceptionally warm). She gazed upon him with soft, tender, round eyes filled with love and compassion; in her heart, she knew that he must be the one. She felt an overwhelming rush of anxiety, knowing that he must be quivering due to not having any covers on. She could not help but felt needed and a need for this person, a new feeling for her, as she had always been so sure of her independence. Additionally, her compassion for others kicked into high gear, although it kicked into a much higher gear than usual, which she found slightly peculiar, but she decided to just go along with it rather than wasting her limited energy fighting it.

Apparently, Robin was used to being in various diverse surroundings, and he had figured out how to sleep anywhere, especially when he was extremely exhausted. She wondered if she should turn the heat up, but then she would be unable to slumber. (Melissa's philosophy regarding the cold was one can always put more on when its cold, but one cannot take more off if it is sweltering.) He looked so adorable and precious sleeping there, but she knew he was uncomfortable, even though he was peacefully sleeping there. She also knew, though, that he would be unable to get enough sleep if she did not get him something to keep him warm. The nurturing and nursing aspect of her strong personality kicked into high gear at the site of Robin sleeping while shivering, they kicked in extremely strongly.

She could ascertain, though, that he was so exhausted that he could perceive neither the cold nor the discomfort he might experience from sleeping on the unforgiving, insubstantial futon without covers on his body. She speedily (as speedily as she was able to) got a thick, soft, warm comforter, covered him up, and sweetly tucked him in – placing a minute, affectionate, delicate kiss on his warm forehead. He looked so serene sleeping there that she could not help but examine his brawny, muscular torso leisurely rise and fall with each subtle, deep breath that he took (even the small pudginess of his abdomen was endearing. Robin was not quite as robust as any of the other superheroes even though he worked out habitually; he still had some "baby" fat on him). She also got him a soft, comfortable pillow, and gently and affectionately lifted his sleeping head to place it delicately on the supple pillow, careful not to disturb the sleeping Robin. His shivering ceased as his body warmed up due to now being covered by the warm, soft comforter. Moreover, his apparent discomfort ceased as he began to get some real sleep. Melissa had taken care of him, and it made her feel contented.

(One who knew Robin well could ascertain it had been awhile since Dick had been in the circus with his parents – who had died tragically in an accident/murder – , he was now bigger, stronger, and tougher now, which is how Bruce Wayne had taught him to be.) At least he did not snore, she thought to herself and silently laughed as she watched him with loving, adoring eyes, while listening to him converse in his sleep. His deep, sensuous voice sent chills up and down her spine, as she had always had an emotional yearning for deep, rich, baritone/bass voices. He never realized that voice sent chills down her spine as she never let him in on the secret. He did not have blond hair, but his dark, royal blue eyes seemed to pierce straight into Melissa's heart, at times making her weak in the knees though she never let on about it.

While standing by his side and watching him, she timed her breathing to his and almost fell asleep standing up. Not an especially sensible idea she thought (as she caught herself before she could slide down and land on the floor), and so she just continued to monitor his broad chest as it subtly rose and fell for at least the next few minutes. She did not who he was talking to, but knew somehow that it was someone important in his life. Her first thought was either his parents or Batman/Bruce Wayne, but he did not speak clear enough for her to understand and determine who he was talking to, and she was too tired to process what it was that he was saying. While watching Robin slumber, though, uncertainties began to plague Melissa's mind, causing confusion, sadness, and ambiguity. The outer pain that she now had she knew would mend and heal, but the inner turmoil, wounds, and aches were now rearing their ugly heads, demanding immediate attention from her limited energy.

She knew deep inside her heart that she was falling for him, but an enormous apprehension arose from the same area since none of the Superfriends, especially Robin, knew anything of her excruciating and tear-filled past. It was a history that caused her to suffer plenty of agony and anguish over her short life. Additionally, it was a woe that longed to be healed and prohibited her from getting what she desired the most – a loving, faithful, Christian husband so she could have a family of her own, with little ones running around and surrounded by an atmosphere of love. She had visions in her mind of what the "perfect" home would be; she knew it would not be without its struggles or disagreements, but she could see love, tenderness, kindness, and a family that had found its home and contentment at last as well as a family that centered its life around Christ.

Her serene and hopeful visions were marred by the uncertainties plaguing her now mystified mind. She was tremendously anxious that if she told them her heartbreaking secrets, her new friends, the Superfriends, especially Robin, would abandon her because she was too much work and she had too many issues to comprehend or believe. She also felt they might abandon her because they would think her stories were so "outrageous" that she must be dreaming them up. She was not even sure if Robin would be able to handle the authenticity of what she told him if she gave up her most safeguarded secrets. So she puzzled as she continued watching him, a serene expression of pure, untainted, unadulterated innocence written on his sleeping countenance, (something that would never describe Robin while he was awake, as in his eyes were volumes of wisdom gained from multiple tragic experiences – extraordinarily similar to what shone through in Melissa's eyes if one looked just right).

Melissa could not exactly put into words or describe as to why she had fallen for Robin. When she first met Robin, she really thought he was just kind of the irritating associate to Batman, and she decided to infuriate him because it was enjoyable and it let her blow off steam. She never said anything intentionally callous; she just teased him like a sister would tease a brother that constantly aggravated her. Melissa did not ever want to be rescued (at least the first few times she needed it) by Robin because she wanted to prove herself as a robust, competent individual – not someone who was fragile and delicate like archetypal girly-girls. She never dreamed, at first, that she would end up falling for him the way she did. Robin had somehow penetrated the deep, solid, unyielding walls surrounding her forbidden broken heart and persevering soul, which took a while for her to believe, and then (or now) she had to deal with how she would enlighten him about herself, something she had not thought of before as the question had never arisen before now. Before now, so many people had been unproblematic to deceive, but Melissa suddenly found herself in a situation where all her defenses had been penetrated to the core and she was uncertain of how to handle it, as she had always avoided it by using her carefully placed defenses, which she assumed to be impenetrable.

While Aquaman had always been Melissa's favorite Superfriend (mostly due to his blond hair and blue eyes), Melissa knew she could not have him or any of the other older male members, as they were all taken. She knew Aquaman was married to Mera and had a son, Superman had a girlfriend – Lois Lane, and (Bruce Wayne) Batman was a bit of a player when it came to women, although Batwoman (a.k.a. Kathy Kane) tended to be Batman's girlfriend more often than not. Many of the other male heroes were too old for Melissa or were already in relationships. And while Melissa thought Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) was attractive, she knew he was taken. As for Marvin and Zan, they were too young for her and neither of the boys were interested in Melissa in terms of a dating relationship. Marvin was more interested in Wendy and being a superhero that saved the day, while Zan was not even sure what it meant to be in a dating relationship on earth because he was too new to the planet. Moreover, with Melissa's pickiness regarding relationship material requirements, it left Melissa with exceptionally few choices among the Superfriends or anyone else for that matter.

Moreover, when they first met officially, Robin treated Melissa as if she knew nothing about anything, and thus the distrust and contempt was reciprocated when the two first met. Robin felt resentment that she had to take care of him after the whole regression fiasco – even though he was clandestinely appreciative of her heroic efforts, which he knew were extremely precarious and perilous. However, Robin still regarded her like she was an irritating little sister, attempting in many ways to thwart her from helping at times, although Batman got on Robin a few times when Batman started to discern that Robin was doing this to Melissa, as Batman stated that Melissa did not deserve what Robin was doing to her. Robin never thought that this exasperating, irksome girl he met in extremely unwelcome circumstances would eventually win his heart and love with her strong determination and willingness to help all those in need, (except herself).

As anticipated, Robin took longer to become conscious of his feelings for Melissa, as it appeared that she did not need anyone – although Robin received a few key hints that Melissa was not as hard-hitting, callous, durable, and resilient as she appeared when he went to her apartment that night that Superman lost his memory. Her multifaceted, independent, fiery personality undoubtedly frightened and overwhelmed him, yet thoroughly mesmerized and completely enthralled him at the same time. She was a most unique individual who swiftly and surreptitiously ensnared his heart like no one ever had before. Robin never thought that such an eccentric, peculiar, irritating, irksome girl would turn out to be the very woman of his dreams.

Often overlooked and overshadowed, poor Robin did not have anybody yet as Wonder Woman was taken by Steve Trevor and too old for Robin and Batgirl and Supergirl had boyfriends (Wonder girl was too concentrated on her Amazon studies to have a boyfriend as of yet). Melissa guessed that this is where her feelings (and possibly his, though she did not know he liked her) started. Additionally, most of the other female superheroes were not interested in Robin, as there was Batman and other heroes available or the women were taken. Jayna and Wendy were not ready for relationships and were not interested in Robin, as well as they were too young for Robin. Wendy more so because she wanted to go on to school and do many things before she wanted a relationship, and Jayna because, like her brother, she was not sure about the way relationships worked on earth. And so, Robin and Melissa were thrust together in a way that neither wanted at first and in a way that neither anticipated.

Moreover, as she now watched an exhausted Robin sleeping soundly curled up on her uncomfortable, cheap futon, she just did not know what to make of the conflicting feelings that she felt welling up inside of her mind and her heart. She wanted someone and for the first time felt like there was a need in her heart, a need and a longing for the man lying right in front of her. She could not explain it away nor contradict it, no matter what excuse she tried to make up or use in her mind. She had always felt that she was independent, and never had felt a need like this before. It was peculiar, unbelievable, intimidating, and breathtaking at the same time, in addition to being wonderfully exciting, nerve-wracking, and new.

Moreover, the fact that she felt the need for someone bewildered her and made her feel awkward. Her rebellious, defiant, insubordinate personality was making it hard for her to swallow that she felt a true need for someone else to be in her life, even though it was something her heart (and mind) desperately desired. Melissa's independent tomboy side was constantly at war with her more feminine side, the softer, gentler side that she frequently pushed aside. It was as if God had drawn them together, despite their feeble and pathetic (as well as juvenile) objections (at first). If only she could keep him, then she would know that her life goals would finally be in her grasp. (However, she knew there might be a chance that because she loved him so much, she may have to let him go but she hoped that was not the case). Therefore, so she did not to wake him, she slowly sauntered back to bed to retire and instantly fell asleep (literally), and she began to dream a dream – more like a nightmare – that she would not soon disregard. Little did she know she had actually passed out and was in a mild coma, having a panic/stress attack of sorts due to her severe loss of blood from the last episode.

As she slowly sailed silently away into her "dream" world, she found herself flying toward her old schools that she went to when she was much younger (places that she loathed with a passion and for an extremely good reason). She was flying of her own accord on fervent winds that blew her into the terror and horror of yesteryear, as it was a dream, and as she hovered above the ground, she watched herself as an innocent youngster. She, with help from the wind, gently and cautiously set herself down in her childhood schoolyard (a technique that she had remembered from retraining Superman during that fiasco) and began watching what had happened to her while she was still so immature and extremely vulnerable (as well as rather exposed). She was not prepared for what she was about to witness, nor the rush of emotions that would soon overwhelm and almost consume her.

She saw an especially appalling scene that stretched out before her dreadfully curious yet shocked and horrified eyes, one that she could not transform even if she desired to (as she desperately wished she could). A devastating scene that brought thick streams of cold, brackish tears to her round, soft, aggrieved grey-blue eyes. In this world, there was no pretense, and every single raw emotion that Melissa felt came pouring out without any control or restraint, as not even her struggling, resilience, and determination could thwart the deluge of emotions that she experienced, as they drowned out all her defenses, which she had originally believed were impenetrable. Her body was wracked with all kinds of emotions she never thought she had; moreover, she never admitted that she had.

Melissa's tremendously distraught expression held two flowing streams of brackish tears that would not cease nor depart, as her broken, hurting heart was now making up for all the years of tears that she had never cried, due in part to her firm belief that crying showed weakness and she did not want to be seen as weak especially by those she deemed as her adversaries. Although her head excruciatingly throbbed and her heart felt as if it was bursting, she was unable to look away from the devastating, agonizing scene that lay before her tear-filled eyes. The overwhelming torment she was experiencing was almost more than she could bear, yet she could not turn away from the scene even though she desperately wished she could. Something, or someone, was focusing all her attention on what had happened in a way she could no longer avoid it. Even her eyes refused to close, making sure she saw what was in front of her in the minutest detail. The over stimulation was almost too much for her to handle as she could feel her energy start to seriously wane and depart from her weakened body.

She devastatingly observed her familiar, scheming, old contemporaries teasing and mocking her innocent-looking, helpless, vulnerable younger self and there was naught she could do about it, as one cannot alter what has already happened. She began to weep even more, as the agony, anguish, and vehemence overwhelmed her severely shaking body, assaulting her very senses to her core, and the absolute death-grasp control she had so long had over her emotions was gone, instantaneously evaporated in this world where nothing stays concealed or suppressed, especially the most extremely powerful emotions that implore for release. Each and every excruciating, emotion filled minute detail was played out blatantly in front of Melissa's saddened and crying eyes, the demoralizing assault cutting deeply, penetratingly piercing her right in her exceptionally broken heart and anxious soul.

This terrorizing nightmarish world had stripped away all the walls built up to thwart the showing of emotion, allowing the vulnerable human side to come forth, and removing the robot she had created. Melissa was having tremendous difficulty withstanding all the devastation to her and her self-worth as a human being, as the demeaning, callous, insensitive, unsympathetic, heartless, merciless, vindictive, spiteful, unforgiving expressions and mockeries rang in her perfect listening ears. She was so traumatized, that she collapsed and crumpled onto her stiff hands and wrists as well as her weakening knees. Grief overwhelmed her as she realized that she no longer possessed the strength she thought she had. What was happening, she wondered. Had her own strength abandoned her just like everyone and everything else?

In her present age and circumstances, she was completely imperceptible to the people she saw callously, insensitively, unsympathetically, inconsiderately, and injudiciously attacking and teasing her younger self as well as her browbeaten, persecuted, victimized younger self. She could perceive and sense the intense agony as it was unsympathetically, indifferently, apathetically, unconcernedly, and uncaringly inflicted upon her younger self, no one yet realizing all the devastation, depression, and angst it would cause in the future, nor the anguish it would cause the brokenhearted and grief stricken Melissa, and it appeared that no one cared about the consequences of their actions. Well, unfortunately for her, kids (as well as the adults of the time) only think about the here and now.

All the adult Melissa could do was stand there completely frozen, watching while crying, as she knew there was no way she would be able to console her younger self. Additionally, she knew no one else would try as no one had ever offered her comfort or protection from her foes, even the boys she was somewhat friends with did little if nothing to shelter her from her abusive female bully who seemed to take no greater pleasure in making Melissa's life miserable, like a living hell on earth each and every day and most of the time multiple times a day. She watched as her younger self sometimes quietly and sometimes loudly took the savage cruelty dealt upon her, blow after heartbreaking blow, and was dumbfounded by the response or lack thereof, as if she was made of solid, frozen, unyielding, unfeeling stone or steel. She saw her younger version start becoming an island in the midst of all the chaos, a deserted island bare, lonely, forgotten, and lost adrift in the stormy seas of life, which were not very fair or forgiving. Moreover, since the island was not as beautiful as other islands, she was often overlooked and unwanted, or so she had perceived herself to be.

The intense, passionate agony, anguish, desolation, heartache, tears, vehemence, enmity, animosity, hate, rage, ferocity, antagonism, resentment, sorrow, angst, yearning, misery, depression, isolation, seclusion, exclusion, oppression, loneliness, pain, spite and any and all other emotions felt by her younger self were excruciatingly and dreadfully palpable unemotionally, expressionlessly, and blatantly etched resolutely on the inhuman, stony, frozen, coldhearted, unfeeling, unyielding, stoic yet aggrieved, indignant, incensed, flat-affected countenance of her younger self, as if she no longer possessed human feelings or emotions of any kind. The absolute coldness, bitterness, remoteness, aloofness, lack of interest, unresponsiveness, apathy, indifference, and distantness of her very own reaction traumatized her, absolutely chilling her to the bone as well as petrifying her to the very core of her being as she could see her intense, dazzling, vivid, bright, fiery spark for life all but die out. However, the adult version of Melissa could perceive that behind the cold, blackened, glossed-over, steely blue-gray eyes blazed an intense inferno of fury, resentment, and rage that burned vibrantly, intensely, dazzlingly, and fiercely and tears that would never be expressed due to a belief that in order to survive, one was required to prevent exposing any kind of Achilles' heel or chink in the toughened armor. She literally watched her younger self's personality shut down right in front of her eyes with no one else none the wiser.

Due to her own limited perception of having no other choice to survive, she watched herself as she transformed from a loving, carefree human child to an unfeeling, unemotional automaton in a human shell (something subhuman or inhuman – an android), something that could not feel nor did it need to feel as it could survive on its own with little maintenance or love. Watching her younger image shutdown right in front of her was the most disturbing image she could imagine, as even hope seemed to leave her younger self's body (even though hope never left, but was deeply buried). As she watched the gruesome and disturbing transformation, it petrified Melissa even more; this revelation was not what she anticipated it would be – it was worse, much worse than she thought it was and much worse than she imagined it could be. The adult Melissa realized all the things she had shut out and it made her head spin. What had she done? Was that really the only option to survive the trauma? But then, she noticed that there appeared to be no other alternative as ending it all was not a viable option and no one wanted to listen to her or comfort her though this extraordinarily difficult and trying time in her existence. She had learned to face the cold cruel world on her own starting at an age when innocence should shine through and a child should not feel the burning sting or the cold shoulder of the cold cruel world.

Her brokenness was hidden from those around her as she had learned that no one wanted to help her or even listen to her. She had to learn to deal with her bully alone and found the only out she could find that would allow her to exist in some form, even if it meant being less than human ands tucking any sort of human emotions far away where no one could reach them, not even her. The telltale eyes were the only place where one could tell Melissa had hidden secrets, and that was only if one looked extremely closely and carefully, which most people overlooked, assuming Melissa just had issues with the world and was a disturbed individual. No one ever suspected the real reason that Melissa had shut down. The toll on the young one's person was unfathomable, and Melissa remembered that she had no trusted adult to tell because he parents did not want to hear it and those at school ignored it and/or her (where many of her desperate pleas for help went unanswered). At this point in her dream, however, only the grown Melissa could see it, as the cold, dark, blackened, unfeeling, stone cold blue-gray eyes on her younger self told the entire devastating, distressing, excruciating detailed account of each and every hard-fought, heartbreaking, agonizing, excruciating, anguish-filled skirmish and battle of a seemingly inexhaustible, unceasing, never-ending war of words (and later on actions) fought solely to survive and nothing more, as it took all her energy just to keep her surviving.

Additionally, these stony, pained eyes showed each bloody red badge of courage marked on her scarred heart that would never show, but would continue to multiply; each one piling up on top of each other as the years rolled by with no help offered from those around her as those who could helped either ignored or pooh-poohed the situation. Moreover, very few if any of those wounds healed as Melissa just had buried all those deep inside her, hoping and praying that they would disappear. Nothing aggrieved and pained her more than seeing those who could have prevented this whole situation or at least have comforted her and helped her though it turn a deaf ear or give her traumatizing situation the cold shoulder, as if she was not important enough to save or the saying "kids will be kids". That in and of itself was bad, but nothing compared to the other phrase she heard so often that she thought she might puke.

Her most hated phrase of "get over it" continued ringing in her ears, angering her to no end – no one could possibly understand all the torture and distress she had been through and yet all they could say was "get over it" as if her feelings and experiences still did not matter and still giving her the cold shoulder. How can one be so callous and uncaring to tell her to get over something that she never had dealt with in the first place? Tell her that. She just could not understand what had gone on. What had she done to deserve this? Why had those who were placed in her life to protect and/or assist her fail to do so? Why did she have to go through this alone? What had selected her as one who would fall through all the cracks and why had she alone been selected? Why was she not worth saving? What was wrong with her that made everyone turn against her? These questions, plus many others, ran through her mind, plaguing her as she attempted to process and deal with all the trauma that had happened in her short lifespan.

Her exceptionally excruciating past flashed before her shocked, tear-filled, soft grayish-blue eyes. Oceans of emotions viciously billowed up inside her, bursting forth uncontrollably as water thundering through an overflowing dam: fury, abhorrence, agony, angst, anguish, animosity, distrust, mistrust, extreme rage, irritation, intense distress, anxiety, excessive cruelty, suffering, skepticism, disparagement, despondency, ambiguity, oppression, hatred, loneliness, sorrow, affliction, depression, doubt, and distress – just to name the minority of the multitude that overwhelmed her and rocked her to her very core. She was finally facing what she had so long pushed (or more so shoved) away from herself in hopes that it would have somehow magically disappeared before she would be able to attempt search for it to deal with it. And yet even now, she did not know if she had the strength to deal with it as it felt like all her strength had been abruptly and rapidly sapped right out of her, as if someone had just pulled the rug out from underneath her feet.

Moreover, the other, even more demoralizing part of this nightmare was to witness that those who possessed the power to have stepped in to impede this whole predicament deliberately chose not to stop the abuse for their own unexplainable rationale, which broke her battered and broken heart even more – was I really not worth saving, she pondered. The thought came to her mind that maybe the reason she was not saved or protected was because she was not human, she was less than human (or inhuman) and maybe she did not deserve to be saved, as only true human beings get saved not robots in human shells (androids), or robots in disguise. Life had played a cruel ruse on her and had dealt her a severely depraved hand as well as a devastating blow as she learned that if she wanted help, the only ones she could depend on were God and herself. Trust was not a luxury that she could afford, as she was never sure who could really be trusted, as many she had trusted in the past had dangerously violated her timid trust and hurt her profoundly, nearly killing her childlike, persevering, optimistic spirit entrenched inside her, hidden from view.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Melissa did not realize, due to her passing out, was that her loud thump when she crashed onto the bed caused Robin to jolt wide-awake. For a split second he was vaguely disoriented (as what typically happens when a person jolts wide awake from a deep, sound sleep), but then recognized that he was in Melissa's slightly cluttered residence (as she had been on the run for last couple weeks plus her time up at the JL satellite and was unable to clean it). He had come home with her after she was released from the sickbay in the JL satellite just to make sure she was okay, as she had been appallingly injured and had lost quite a bit of blood from her previous adventure on the run. Little did he know that Melissa was going to require him to pull through for her again (especially so soon after the last endeavor). He looked around for just a second to get his bearings.

He immediately noticed that someone had given him a warm, soft comforter and had gently, lovingly, affectionately tucked him in, and he assumed it had been Melissa. He thought it was extremely considerate, thoughtful, and caring of her. He counted his blessings, as he knew that she always watched out for him whether as Robin or as Dick Grayson, never giving either identity away that they were the same person – a ruse he knew from experience that was extremely complicated and fraught with peril. He now knew that he could completely trust her with his secret as she had done such a good job proving her worth and more. Robin's feelings for Melissa were now overwhelming his heart, and sometimes clouding his judgment, although she reminded him to make sure he stayed focused on current assignment. Robin still did not want Melissa to assist him, but the difference now was that Robin did not want Melissa to help for fear that she would be injured or worse – killed.

After hearing the raucous rumble, though, he hastily ran back to her bedroom and found her passed out on her bed, and breathing rapidly and shallowly – signs that were not indicative of a healthy person, and signs that she might possibly be having a severe panic attack – signs he had learned from her due him secretly watching her doing her job as a nurse plus all the times he talked to her about nursing. Due to the magnitude of blood she lost after the last adventure and the amount of stress she had suffered during the last adventure, Robin was extremely anxious and apprehensive when he saw her there, lying immobile other than for basic functions, such as breathing. He almost cried as he realized that if he did not do something, he might lose her forever. It took a few minutes for him to clear his head enough to think of what to do next, as seeing her lying helplessly on the bed tugged resolutely on his heartstrings. For the first time, he was hesitant in reacting to what had just happened. All he knew was that he was not willing to lose her.

As soon as he saw her and gathered most of his wits (while trying to prevent himself from crying), Robin swiftly called the Superfriends to come help him out. Batman and Superman for some mysterious rationale did not get the message right away or else they were occupied, but Wonder Woman and Aquaman did, along with the kids. They all headed out in Wonder Woman's invisible jet to aid Robin, who they could ascertain from the message had a major predicament at his location. Since he was at Melissa's place, they had to wonder what would be a quandary that Robin would be unable to handle alone. Nevertheless, they took off swiftly to help Robin. Little did they know what they would see when they arrived at Melissa's humble residence.

They speedily made their way to Melissa's residence and found Robin attempting to rouse Melissa and crying out in frustration of being unable and helpless to do so. Aquaman rushed in and helped Robin load her up into a car so that she could be taken back to the infirmary in the Hall of Justice, as Aquaman had no mode of transportation to get her up into space, and Wonder Woman's invisible jet could not land close enough. Robin's gait was slightly wobbly, but he went with the others to make sure that Melissa survived again. This time he could not grasp what had happened to her. Maybe she had lost too much blood and they had sent her home too prematurely? Who knew? Maybe they should not have listened to her when she said that she was ready to go back to her home. Robin started blaming himself, but stopped when he realized that Melissa was going to require him to pull through for her in able for her to make it through this time. He needed to pull himself together in order to be there for her, something he never thought would happen – she needed him.

Meanwhile as her body was being compassionately, kindheartedly, gently, and cautiously moved out of her cozy and familiar apartment by her concerned and anxious friends, Melissa was still ensnared in that atrocious dream world that mandated her to watch her anguishing past yet again without reprieve. As she watched, she felt particularly vulnerable as all she endured came back to haunt her, flooding her eyes with appalling, ghastly, and atrocious images she had hoped had long since vanished and departed. However, everywhere she turned she saw another juncture in her short existence where she was suffering from some form of persecution, whether it be from her repulsive school bully or herself wrestling with feelings, being unable to talk to anyone as she felt that no one believed her and trusting no one. She had become a loner and outcast with few friends – just enough to survive. She really had become the robot in a human shell, very few feelings left that were ever allowed to show through.

The agony and angst felt as genuine as it did the day it was inflicted, if not worse as it was almost as if it was a fresh wound, stabbing her right in her exceptionally vulnerable heart. She just wanted it all to end. She just froze, powerless to move and defenseless, tears streaming down her reddened, edematous face. Even her fallen tears seemed to mock her. She wanted no part of this, but her heart and mind had other ideas, they wanted her to get through this so that she would be able to have an open relationship with Robin, but she did not understand that – how could suffering or re-experiencing this agony bring her closer to anybody, she wondered. Maybe closer to suicide and ending it all, but not closer to someone else – she thought.

The heartbreaking images overwhelmed her and even though she could not take anymore, she was required to watch as all the agony, anguish, sorrow, and grief of her past that she had been harboring sprang up like wells, each showing her more pain from her past that she had not dealt with. After seeing all that her heart wanted to show her, she crumpled to her knees, then fell forward, and ended up in the fetal position, crying uncontrollably and shaking under a shady tree near a bubbling brook that even seemed to snicker at her and her excruciating angst. She felt so detached, alone, unwanted, unloved, despised, inhuman, forgotten, and forlorn. Her faith had sustained her, but it did not (nor could it) take away the anguish that she was suffering. Even though some of the wells were dry and closed from the time she had counseling, many wells remained open (some Melissa was not even aware of) and Melissa was now forced to take care of them. She was too traumatized to even know where to commence. A thought entered her mind about just ending it all, but that did not seem right or possible, and it seemed like the loser's way out, allowing someone else to win – and that was improper, intolerable, and absolutely deplorable in her mind.

Next thing she knew, as she was sitting in a fetal position crying near a weeping willow tree with its branches hiding most of her shaking body, a familiar group of voices came up to her. She recognized them as the Superfriends. First were the kids and the twins with their respective pets. She did not know if they would notice her, so she said nothing and continued silently sobbing, fearing that she was all alone in her pain and suffering. Following the young ones were the senior members of the group: Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, and finally Robin. Melissa uttered not a word as she figured that she was invisible to them too in this nightmarish and horrendous world that she was held hostage in. However, she did not know that she was incredibly noticeable to these Superfriends, and they spotted her, curled up and crying as well as writhing in pain, seizing uncontrollably just from all the stress. They stopped and quietly approached her, concerned at how she looked, but none too sure how she would respond.

Superman was the first to address her, calmly asking her what was wrong in his deepest, most soothing (and anxious) voice. Melissa could not articulate, but just continued crying and quivering, almost to the point of convulsing. Batman and Aquaman were not sure exactly what to say, as saying the erroneous message would be counterproductive and cause more problems. Wonder Woman just stood there, uncertain as to what to do next as none of them had really ever seen Melissa in this condition. The kids were unable to approach her because the Superfriends kept them back, hesitant how Melissa would react if someone approached her. Who would dare approach her when she was like this? They assumed it did not matter now that Melissa would not be able to rationally converse with them.

Suddenly, Robin, of his own volition, was the only one who dared to approach her, somehow instinctively knowing that he could calm her down and only he knew how. He did not say a word, but placed a firm yet gentle guiding hand on Melissa's proximal shoulder. He gradually and lovingly moved her into a position so that she was crying on his shoulder while he held her affectionately in a hug, rocking her soothingly side to side to comfort her as well as calm her down. The rest of the Superfriends were bewildered, but Melissa eventually stopped trembling and crying and was able to be coherent. How did Robin know exactly what to do and what exactly was bothering Melissa?

She finally began to enlighten them about the scenes she had seen, and all the problems and anguish that they caused her. Even though this was in Melissa's mind, the Superfriends were still shocked at what she had to say. They had no idea that she had gone through such trials and tribulations when she was younger. The part that surprised them even more was the way she had inadvertently chosen to deal with the issues – she tried to bury them so in hopes that they would evaporate. Only now did Melissa realize (she explained) that the way she unconsciously chose did more harm than good. The fact that she chose that way at all baffled her, but she guessed anything to survive. Even though the Superfriends were shocked by this, to Melissa's great surprise (and relief), none of them left or ran away from her. Maybe, just maybe, the Superfriends were better friends than she had originally thought.

It was then that Melissa and the Superfriends noticed a red brick road, various bricks were bright red while most others were a much darker red and very solid. Unknowing to exactly where it would lead, Melissa and the Superfriends started down the long and windy path. Grave danger lurked ahead, but no one could tell for sure what threats there would be. The solitary warning sign in the area was the decrepit wooden sign with blood-red letters that stated, "Root of Bitterness, this way -." At this point, no one was too sure what exactly that meant, and no one knew that most would not last to see the final destination. Melissa had an inkling, as the road looked somewhat familiar to a thoroughfare she had traversed before, only this road trip would be slightly longer, as she had taken a short cut last time, by avoiding a few things here and there, which would make this journey much more difficult than last time.

As they started going down this bumpy thoroughfare, sinister and ominous looking vegetation were flanking the path to the right and to the left as the travelers were passing through the Forgotten Forest, the bare trees reaching their exposed branches over the passageway in hopes of ensnaring those journeying down this desolate, depressing passageway. Since Melissa was in the middle of the trail, between Batman and Robin, with Superman leading and Aquaman bringing up the rear, the only vulnerable ones were the kids and Wonder Woman. Everyone was keeping a lookout, but no one (except possibly Melissa) knew that these stark trees were a trap waiting to be sprung. The only question in Melissa's mind was who would be taken from her first?

Before anyone realized what had happened and in order to discourage Melissa, the trees sneakily and swiftly reached out and grabbed the young heroes, seemingly knowing that they were some of her friends who were closest to her even though they were not guarding her directly. The sinister, blackened, gnarly trees took the junior Superfriends completely off the pathway, which meant that the kids were now lost and unable to be saved, as once one went off the path; it was not possible to find your way back. Melissa did note that her friends were taken, and as much as it aggrieved her, she knew that they would wish for her to continue on toward her ultimate goal while leaving them here, as they believed she had the strength to make it, especially with the rest of the Superfriends still surrounding her. Therefore, Melissa somehow found the strength to keep going, even though she could still feel the fresh sting of losing her close friends. She was starting to comprehend possibly why the thoroughfare was dark crimson in color, and becoming a brighter cherry color (as well as more gooey) as they proceeded down the meandering, twisted, deformed passageway.

While Melissa was in a world of her own, out in the real world, the Superfriends were exceedingly anxious because now that they had brought her to sickbay, her heart was racing, as was her breathing – and there were no indications of what had caused her condition. Her body also shook from some kind of induced stress, but they could not tell what had caused this. They had no idea what to make of it. Even Batman and Superman were extremely concerned about her condition (which was rare as Melissa more often than not said she was fine no matter what came her way). Both Batman and Superman furiously studied medical books to attempt to determine the source for this circumstance. After determining that a loss of blood was the biggest culprit that they could find, they began to quickly transfuse blood and fluids into her system, as dehydration was also determined to be a primary culprit, with the blood loss a close second. They continually gave her intravenous fluids in hopes that she would come around soon. Superman even checked her over with his supervision and found something that needed to be repaired and he repaired it quickly. All they could do now was patiently wait to see if Melissa would come back to them.

Robin, still tremendously shaken up, kept a vigil at Melissa's side talking to her and reminding her of all their adventures to make sure she did not forget. Melissa had told him at one time that people who were in a coma could hear and exposing them to familiar things can potentially bring them out of the coma sooner, and so Robin was trying his best, knowing full well in his heart that Melissa would do the same if the roles were reversed. He hoped and prayed for the best. He knew it would be a complicated, rough road ahead, but he was going to hold out hope that all would be well in the end, just as Melissa always did. In his right hand, he held the precious, special necklace that Melissa always wore. It was not made of gold, silver, or any type of precious metal, but it was especially meaningful to Melissa, as it showed how strong her Christian faith was. On the beaded chain was a small pendant with a "basketball" in it and around the outside was the verse from Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Now that Melissa was out cold, Robin held the necklace close to his heart, reminding him that Christ would give him strength to get through this, no matter what happened. The chain was not long enough for Robin to wear it, so he kept it in his hand or in a special pocket so he could keep her close to his heart

Only when Robin was alone at Melissa's bedside did he shed any tears, realizing that if she did not come out of this, he might lose her forever. He had to do everything in his power to prevent that, and so exhausted, he prayed wholeheartedly for Melissa so that she would come out of this condition. He trusted that God would answer his prayer, but Robin knew that God did things in His own time. Robin held out hope, just like Melissa would if the situation was reversed, that all will be right in the end, whatever ending that was. Never before did Robin appreciate how optimistic and hopeful a person Melissa truly was until the situation was reversed and he had to be the one who held out hope (at a time when he had no idea what had happened to Melissa). He saw her cheerfulness and optimistic personality complimenting her defiant, independent yet caring personality, and he now longed for the indescribable personality that Melissa embodied when she was well. There was just something about her and her indefinable personality that Robin was not willing to give up just yet. In addition, he boldly prayed that he would not have to give her up, as to give her up might just break his heart and destroy him.

Meanwhile, back in Melissa's dream/coma (nightmare) world, Wonder Woman kept a much sharper eye out as they moved further down the path. Having past through the Forgotten Forest of loss, six of the original starters were still on the path. The remaining travelers did their best to protect each other, especially Melissa, as she was the one who needed to follow this path until the end. While they were all saddened by the first loss, they knew they had no alternative but to move along. Melissa knew that she would lose friends along the way as she had partially traveled this road before and several of her regular, best friends from college disappeared on her way before the point she was now at. If Melissa stopped for any reason now, though, she may never make it to the end and problems would occur. As they continued, no one was aware that the next trial would be the Desert of Doubt and Death.

As they slowly approached the shimmering, ebony sands, the scorching, blistering sun was biding his time, waiting for them to penetrate deep into his territory before he rose to cause his damage. None knew that where they were now entering was another device to dispirit those who were attempting to get to the root of bitterness, in the center of the Land of Heart. As they journeyed further into the merciless, unforgiving desert with its mountainous sand dunes, the blue-white sun rose unexpectedly and hastily heated up the ground and surrounding area. However, thanks to being in the middle of all the heroes and their capes (but mostly thanks to Jesus and her faith in Him), Melissa survived the ordeal, however, one of her closer friends, was taken from her. Aquaman, who urgently required water every hour to survive, was lost in the black shifting sands, severely dehydrated by the sweltering sun, and unable to continue down the road any further. Melissa cried and almost stopped, but a calm, heartening voice inside her encouraged her to go along, reminding her that the best way to save her friends was to continue forward, and so the weary little band forged ahead. In addition, as they left the desert, they realized that they were now down to five; the group was shrinking after each trial. No one could figure out why, but they knew they must keep moving along the meandering, scarlet path.

Moving further down the crimson road, they noticed, as they kept getting closer, that more and more bricks were becoming bright cherry in color and less were dark burgundy in color. Now Wonder Woman had taken Aquaman's spot in the rear, and still kept a sharp lookout. Quickly they were approaching the next trial on the path. Moreover, as they walked, they had no idea they were approaching an open meadow that was guarded by invisible raiders who would take what they saw fit. Their primary objective was to discourage those who tread the path without directly attacking the person because they were unable to form a direct attack as part of having the power to be invisible when they chose to be.

Prior to moving on, Superman scanned and scouted out the open meadow, and seeing nothing suspicious, encouraged the others to follow him through. However, since the raiders of this valley could not be picked up by any of Superman's special powers, he had no idea what he had led the group into as they walked across the grassland. All of the sudden, a rustling of leaves was heard, and the raiders attacked. However, they were not able to reach their intended target of Melissa, partially due to her friends and partially due to their limitations. Despite this, the raiders did their best to discourage Melissa by taking Wonder Woman with them, leaving Melissa more vulnerable since there were only three friends and her left. Batman and Robin now went from by her side, to on either side and slightly behind Melissa, to make up for the loss of Wonder Woman as well as the others. Robin was beginning to wonder just where this red thoroughfare would lead, not knowing or understanding that this was the road to the very heart of the Root of Bitterness, a foe that only one person would be able to challenge and defeat.

Melissa was once again stung by the actions of what had happened down the red brick road (that seemed to be come slightly less solid as they proceeded). She cried again, but kept going, pushed on by her friends that remained with her as well as the stirring in her heart and soul. The red thoroughfare was turning brighter red, and not only that but also was becoming much less contaminated, as if one was getting closer to the source. This sight not only encouraged but also discouraged Melissa as she knew she was getting closer but the closer she got to the goal, the more friends she lost. But she knew that she could not afford to stop. She must, at all costs, continue on to the very end – something inside her told her so. And since the voice inside calmed and soothed her, giving her a sense of peace, she listened to it and followed it closely and carefully.

Therefore, slowly trudging ever onward, the little band of wearisome explorers came to a technology-controlled ravine that needed to be descended in order to continue following the red brick road. Since Melissa had no gear on (and her dream had acted as if it were reality at this point), Melissa was gently flown down by Superman, as was Robin. However, Batman decided to try the Bat-rope, but was captured as the canyon wall held surreptitious doorways. These concealed doorways were hidden in order to capture and prevent those who continued down the path until the person was so discouraged they would give up. It took awhile for the small group to realize that Batman was not coming down, and they realized that he had now been captured. It was a little difficult to swallow, but they needed to leave him and move on. Now the group consisted of Superman, Melissa, and Robin, although no one realized that another member had been there the whole time, invisible to the naked eye, however the presence could not be shaken off by Melissa. This voice kept encouraging her to move on, to not stop until the end. This calm, reassuring voice encouraged her that when she kept seeking what she was in search of, she would find it.

After making it through the discouraging canyon, the little group came to an unassuming quiet stream surrounded by beautiful green grass that smelled as fresh as grass does on a cool summer's day just after it had been mowed, and decided to rest for a short while, even though Melissa was anxious to move along, somehow knowing that they should not stop. The grass was extremely lush and inviting without a brown spot to be found. A towering oak tree with lush, full branches sat near a tranquil, harmless tributary (to entice the person journeying to stop and rest long enough to forget moving on). Robin was a little hesitant to rest as was Melissa, but Superman said it would be a good idea, since both Robin and Melissa were mortal and Superman could keep an eye out. However, the path had other plans for another one of Melissa's friends. Melissa was not prepared to lose another friend, but she had come to expect it. Even though it was expected, the anguish that she felt was no less agonizing than any of the other previous snatchings had been.

As Superman was trying to fly up in search of the castle (flying above the ground that was off the path) that this root of bitterness was supposed to be in, he suddenly fell to the ground hard and writhed in pain. Robin and Melissa heard the crash and wondered what had happened. They ran over to see that Superman had crashed to the ground (now completely off the path, touching the ground outside of the path) and was writhing in excruciating pain, due to what had just happened to the green grass. The grass, which the moment before had been soft and swaying in the breeze, had changed, turning into green kryptonite, behind Robin and Melissa's backs, and Superman told Robin and Melissa to move along and leave him here, as saving him would prevent her from reaching her ultimate destination. Therefore, with heavy heart, Melissa and Robin moved further down the red road, although now it looked like a pulsing liquid and they found a small craft to continue onward. The path had now turned into a flowing stream of cherry colored liquid, looking a lot like bright red blood oozing from a fresh wound or a wound that had not had a chance to coagulate or congeal yet.

As they approached the dilapidated, black castle, massive weeds began surrounding the lone pair, attempting to choke the spark of seeking out of them. Robin, in trying to help Melissa, encouraged her to run as fast as she could, telling her that he would be right behind her. Moreover, while both made it through the weeds, that was nothing compared to what they ran into next. Something that Melissa would recognize and something that not even Robin would be able to help her with. They went through the thick wooden doors that had been designed to keep people out, but were broken down due to some prior trip down a different path to this place (counseling), but it was obvious that the previous visit did not get very far past the enormous wooden front doors of this decrepit, intolerable, ominous fortress.

Once inside, their senses were overwhelmed by various pungent smells, eerie sounds, and horrific sights, even the air felt sinister as if something was breathing heat down the back of their necks. They continued on, with the things assaulting all their senses getting worse until the reached the grand center room of this unholy, dilapidated, sinister castle. In the center of the largest of all the castle rooms, an enormous, revolting, hideous aged blackened tree that looked like it had died many years ago by burning was flourishing, its roots planted steadfastly in the "supple" ground. Robin and Melissa noticed that from its roots came the blood red path that had led them here, to this spine-chilling locale. Melissa now understood why the path was now red – it was the blood from this root of bitterness, which kept it alive. The red brick road had led Melissa here, a place where she knew was a place where many secrets had been hidden and feelings lay unexpressed. There was even a diminutive crack in the wall around the root, which was exactly where the blood had oozed from to lead Melissa here (as the first time Melissa came there was no trail to follow).

All the hurt, frustration, anger, and pent up emotions were locked in the tree, and that was what had caused it to mature, flourish, and endure. These withheld, constrained emotions were the very lifeblood of this Root of Bitterness. However, before Robin or Melissa could do anything, a creepy, barren branch reached out and instantly snatched Robin, leaving Melissa to fight the Root alone in the process. Melissa now found herself alone, facing the Root of Bitterness and knew that it was more than she could handle alone. She had no idea what she was going to do, as she had lost all her friends along the way, including the Superfriends. She had forgotten about one friend who would never leave her, and would be the only one who could help her and save her this time. Moreover, He was much closer to her than she realized.

Out of the blue, Melissa heard a sweet voice, a soothing, calming, comforting voice overflowing with love, hope, and peace. It was a familiar voice that had been there when she suffered through her past, and a voice that had been there when she experienced joyous times. This particular voice had always been there even when she could not always hear it. Melissa suddenly recognized this one voice, the last friend left. It was Jesus speaking gently and calmly to her broken heart. He reminded her to lean on Him and to cast her cares upon Him. Melissa dropped to her knees right there and knew that she needed to pray and trust God to remove this root of bitterness from her heart. She knew what she had to do, and she did it right then and there.

While she knelt to pray, the tree, thinking it had won started to reach for her to envelop her in a wallow of self-pity and animosity toward the rest of the world. As the tree attempted to greedily wrap its thorn-spiked, creepy bare branches around her to smother her, it realized that there was a field of force around her body. The harder it tried to get her, the more it began to realize that it had lost, as her last friend who would never desert her fought this battle for her, one that the sinister tree could not get rid of no matter what and one which limited the trees growth. The friend the tree hated the most now fought the tree, with more power than the root itself could even imagine.

The tree suddenly felt a tremendous terror and a new wind that it had not felt before. Melissa was defeating it, but it had no idea how. All Melissa did was kneel there, with her eyes closed, head bowed, and hands clasped whispering something under her breath that the tree was incapable to make out as a regular human language. Groans that were generally beyond the human hearing range were all the tree could make out that came out of her mouth, moans that also were beyond the human vocal range, ranging from extremely high to exceptionally low. This terrified the root as it realized that it had no way to protect itself from this friend who could not be stopped by any trap that it had set up to protect itself. This was especially now since the one individual who had been feeding, tending, and guarding it, now resigned from her post and allowed Jesus to remove this root from her heart, more so begging for Jesus to remove this root of bitterness from her heart.

Melissa kept praying and praying earnestly, asking God and Jesus to remove this root of bitterness in her heart and to give her a more discerning heart to God's will. She also asked God to take away her spirit of timidity and show her that she had the confidence to finish the tasks that he had set for her to accomplish. As she was praying this, the tree shrieked and shriveled, attempting to be defiant to the very end and not going away without a fight, just like Melissa. Melissa was completely unaware of it happening as the shield covered and protected her, but trusted and believed that God would never forsake her nor would He let her take on more than she could handle (with His help). She prayed and prayed as, unbeknownst to her, the overgrown ominous tree began to shrivel and die (although it would be a long time before it would ever be truly dead and a difficult fight).

As the tree began to shrivel and die, the red road began to coagulate and harden, as the blood stopped flowing and healing began to occur, starting in Melissa's wounded heart. Melissa cried, yelled, and moaned while she prayed as all of these pent up emotions were being released, not to return – she was convulsing violently as well. But after each intense release of unbridled emotion, Melissa felt better and stronger, knowing full well that she could climb this hurtle, as long as Jesus would give her the strength, which would be forever as long as she relied on Him and not her own strength. Her confidence also became stronger because of all that had happened, particularly confidence in herself and her God given abilities. She knew that she could do whatever she set her mind to as long as it was what God had planned for her. And she knew now that she would be able to help herself, with help from God, by telling her friends what had happened so that she could form true friendships with them.

Meantime in the normal, regular world, Robin, who had been watching her like a hawk, suddenly noticed the drastic change in her body systems. Her breathing rate had slowed to normal, as had her pulse, and her blood pressure dropped – she had finally come out of the panic stages, the violet shaking was over. Her expression was innocent, tranquil, and serene, almost too peaceful for what had occurred. These sudden and drastic changes terrified Robin as he thought she might be dying and seeing Jesus to be taken to heaven. Little did Robin realize that in Melissa's dream world, Jesus was helping her defeat and remove her root of bitterness and heal her broken heart. All Robin could do was uncomplainingly wait until Melissa would hopefully and finally come around. He had fortitude, but waiting this long was really trying his patience, and his feelings for Melissa. Yet Robin realized that Melissa would remain for longer (and had waited much longer for him) if the circumstances were reversed without complaining, and so he continued his vigil, not realizing or apprehensive that his health was not doing so well. His number one priority at this time was Melissa's condition. He could feel a gap in his heart as he realized his true feelings for Melissa, life without her would be extremely difficult to tolerate or bear.

As Melissa was concluding her desperate prayer in her own world, she noticed that the tree had been greatly reduced in magnitude and she knew that her unadulterated prayer had been answered. She knew that she would need to continue working on this, but Jesus would help her. She could feel him beside her, lifting her up; as she was tired from her journey. She felt like she was flying like Superman could in the real world. She also now felt a need to tell those who were closer to her what had happened so that they could fully understand what had happened and she could stop running from her past. Running was never going to solve anything and she realized that if she wanted to move on, she had to confront her past head on and tell others so that she could release that which held her back and made her hesitant. If she could get her friends to see beyond her shortcomings and her history, then she knew it would be another step on the road to recovery. In fact, she realized that the more honest she was and the more she was ready to move on, the weaker the root became.

As Melissa walked out of the dilapidated castle and into the bright, gorgeous sunshine, she noticed a group of people waiting for her. She saw the kids, Aquaman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman (as well as several other friends she had lost along the way). The only person she did not see right away was Robin. Where could he be? Suddenly, from behind the group, Robin came forward, still having the wound from meeting the Root of Bitterness. Melissa rushed to him to give him an enormous embrace, which healed the wound. However, this reunion would not happen in the way Melissa expected, as she suddenly felt herself being drawn away. She was literally ripped from his warm embrace, unsure of what had just happened. She kept her eyes on him until he faded away. Tears welled up in her eyes, what was going on? Why now? Why did the dream decide to rip her away at this point?

As Melissa was getting ready to kiss Robin in her dream, she slowly began to wake from her coma. After a few minutes of shock trying to figure out where she was, Melissa recognized the Hall of Justice sickbay and began looking around the room, noticing flowers and "get well soon" cards. After scanning the room and allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light, Melissa noticed Robin was asleep, as it was late at night, and Melissa sat up in the bed and looked at him curiously. She wondered how she had gotten to this place and how long she had been out, as she thought she just had had a regular sleep cycle. She knew, somehow, that Robin had brought her here, but she could not figure out why. However, she did notice her familiar music and a petite nightlight that allowed her to make this place familiar and she wondered who would think of these little touches. In her heart, she knew it had to be Robin, as none of the others knew her that well. She also noticed the IV and the intravenous fluids, which made her even more curious. What had happened to her? Nothing happened that required that, or did it – she pondered.

As Melissa was finally getting her all of her bearings, she immediately noticed Robin, curled up asleep in the reclining chair next to her sickbay bed. She could see that he was shivering and chilly (as well as exhausted) and so she carefully, due to the IV pole, and silently got up from her bed to get him a comfortable, warm blanket as well as a pillow to rest his head on. She quickly found a blanket and cushion and delicately tucked him in, giving him a small peck on the forehead before she climbed back into her infirmary bed to rest, not realizing how long she had been out in her coma. She just knew that she would need her rest to take care of Robin, and anyone else who needed it. Before she fell back asleep, she noticed that Robin had stopped shivering and was actually beginning to get some worthwhile yet fitful sleep. She drifted off to sleep, peacefully resting in order to be ready for the coming day. She knew she would need her full strength to take care of Robin, or at least as much strength as she could muster, considering she still felt particularly fragile.

Later on that night, a lethargic, exhausted Robin woke up to the beeping of the IV machine; somehow it had become unplugged and was running on empty. Due to his tiredness, Robin did not notice the blanket or pillow, but plugged in the IV pole and put a new bag of intravenous fluids up. He figured that someone else must have come in and accidentally unplugged it or he forgot to plug it in from earlier. He checked on Melissa and saw that she was still out of it (or so it appeared). He desperately prayed that God would return her to him. Hoping for the best, he decided to try to rest again. He settled back into his chair, after scooting just a tad closer to the bed. He fell asleep once again. Melissa woke up just after he fell asleep, and noticed that the blanket had fallen off. Therefore, she quietly tucked him back in, and then fell asleep in her infirmary bed, as her energy threshold was still incredibly minimal. After she crawled back in bed and fell asleep, morning slowly crept in.

The next morning, Robin woke with a bit of a start, as if something had startled him. He slowly realized that he had been tucked in but was not sure who did it, as Melissa was still lying fast asleep in the bed next to him. He also realized that his head had been resting on Melissa's supple (and slightly flabby) abdomen, but that was not too unexpected, as it had happened the night before – Robin guessed that he had been making sure Melissa did not leave him. As long as she was warm and her abdomen was moving, she was alive and fine. He quickly got up as the other Superfriends were going to come in soon to check on Melissa, and he could ask them if any of them had given him the blanket. He looked at Melissa, anxiously hoping that she would finally wake today, as it was the morning of the third day since she had passed out, and the beautiful golden morning sun shone brilliantly, intensely, vibrantly, dazzlingly, flamboyantly, and luminously outside. It had been grey and cloudy with thunderstorms the past two days, and he was happy to see the bright golden sun, hoping that it would mean good things for Melissa and himself. He quickly said another prayer before he sat up to continue his vigil at Melissa's bedside. After making her look somewhat presentable, he prepared for the super guests that were about to arrive.

As the Superfriends came in one by one to check on Melissa, Robin asked each one the same inquiry. Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Batman all denied giving him a blanket, saying that he must have gotten cold and got one himself. Either that or he sleepwalked. However, they were perplexed when Robin avowed that it looked like he had been carefully tucked in. No one could figure it out, although most thought that Robin was just sleep deprived, as he had not been getting much rest due to Melissa's fragile and delicate condition. Robin was beginning to feel like he was possibly losing it. Maybe it was just his imagination. He began to crack under the strain – what was going to happen and why couldn't he do anything about it? He felt so alone.

As the other Superfriends left because of missions, Robin remained at Melissa's beside. He knew that she might panic when she woke in a strange place, and he wanted to be there to comfort her and prevent her from panicking. He even had music (Melissa's iPod) constantly going and a small light always on should she come around when he was asleep so she will not freak out. Robin even found reassurance in her eclectic taste in music, as if it was her speaking through her music to him, (although several choices left a lot to be desired and left quite a few questions in Robin's mind to some time ask Melissa about it – if got another opportunity). Robin had no idea that Melissa had such a variety because she listened to certain songs depending on her mood. He did understand that music spoke to her and that she only listened to certain things at certain times, but he just did not realize how much influence her mood and music played in her life. She was not just a lover of sports but also a lover of the performing arts.

While Robin was staring blankly out the window with tears in his big, soft, deep royal blue eyes and dozens of unanswered questions in his heart, Melissa finally woke up from her catnap. In noticing that Robin was staring out the window confused and crying, she silently went over to him and placed her left hand gently and soothingly upon his right shoulder. The extra pressure on his broad shoulder made Robin almost jump out of his skin, and he turned around quickly, throwing a punch before asking questions, as goons before had grabbed him when this happened. Melissa, expecting this particular reaction, dodged the blow, although the full glass of water that was sitting on the tray table next to the sickbay bed was not so fortunate. The water splashed on the sheets as Melissa realized that she must act swiftly with her restricted energy to pacify a distraught Robin. Robin had reached his breaking point and he needed her to take care of him– that much she knew.

As soon as she was able to, Melissa settled Robin down by affectionately holding him in a warm, soothing, loving embrace, instead of the other way around, as Robin was a nervous wreck, as he had not left Melissa's side during the entire duration of her being in the Justice Hall Sickbay. (Moreover, since Robin was fatigued, Melissa was effortlessly able to handle him and gently restrain him to calm him down by rocking him tenderly back and forth, almost like a mother rocks an infant to calm it). Robin then realized that Melissa was no longer in the bed and was holding him strongly yet soothingly to help him control his instilled reflexes so that he could not injure her. However, he could see several small contusions on her left arm that he knew with absolute certainty he had left from jumping up when she reached out and gently placed her hand on him. Since he was so exhausted, he did not fight her but instead just broke down in Melissa's warm, soft arms and together they sat holding onto one another, neither saying a word, but neither needing to, knowing it was not necessary. They both cried tears of joy while embracing each other tightly, after locking lips. They were happy to be reunited, and Melissa stated that she wanted to head home.

Robin, who had been so stressed out, broke down and cried happy tears on Melissa's welcoming shoulders, now that Melissa was back. She had survived, as she somehow always does. While she gently stroked his back, Melissa informed Robin that she had woke up last night and found him shivering in the chair and had tucked him in. Robin, still a little in shock, just gave Melissa a bigger hug. Melissa actually noticed that Robin was to the point where he could almost not function, and that was not good, Melissa knew that from experience as a nurse. In addition, her focus abruptly shifted from her health to his health, which was suffering precariously at this point, much more so in her mind, although neither had a great amount of energy at this point.

Melissa gave Robin something to sedate him after leaving the Hall of Justice and getting somehow back to her apartment. Robin needed his rest, she knew, and he would not get it being in the Hall of Justice, and she was determined that she would watch him to make sure he got the rest he desperately needed. She placed him on the inflated, comfy Aerobed® in her apartment, wrapping him up like a baby and allowing him to rest. He looked so adorable that she could not fathom ever leaving him or having him leave her. He was now sleeping, and she could tell it was the restful sleep that would help him regain his full strength. Hopefully, this rest would help him as she realized that her own strength was much more fragile than it typically was when she was at full strength, something that would take awhile to reacquire.

She neglected to tell the other Superfriends what had happened because she wanted Robin to rest and not be disturbed. Also, she needed some time to process what had happened to her and she was unsure how she should approach or broach the subject with her friends. Millions of anxious questions filled her head, precluding her from focusing and remembering to ring the Superfriends. She knew she needed to regain her vigor as well and so she lay down and took a siesta. She was still not back at 100 percent, but she thought that she was much better than Robin was now. She knew that if she did not regain her strength she would not be able to give to others, but she also knew that Robin needed her help. In other words, she was again at war with herself.

When the others returned to the Hall, they found Melissa and Robin gone. What had happened? They checked the Justice League recorder, but somehow it had enigmatically been turned off during a certain crucial time frame. No vehicles or supplies were missing except the Bat Multi-craft. Superman and Batman surmised that maybe Robin had decided to take Melissa back home in hopes that she would wake up there, as all of Melissa's stuff was gone as well. Maybe Melissa was getting worse and Robin knew that she would rather be at home than here, but something about that scenario did not make sense. Robin would have informed the others if that were the case. Aquaman and Wonder Woman checked in the computer to see if there was anyway of knowing what had happened. Some how the cameras in the place had temporarily blanked out simultaneously. This puzzled the Superfriends. Then, Aquaman was the one who reminded the Superfriends of Melissa's watch tracking device and told the others to verify that to see if they could locate Melissa, knowing that there was an excellent chance that Robin would be close in tow.

Using the unknown, hidden tracking device in Melissa's Superfriends wristwatch, the Superfriends learned that at least Melissa had somehow traveled back to her home in Decatur, Illinois, possibly by Robin deciding to let her rest in her own home – maybe things had gotten worse and so Robin took her home one last time. Not surprising, but especially curious, as the other Superfriends thought that Melissa was still in a coma-like state. Superman and Batman flew to the area of Melissa's apartment. They were not prepared for what they found, but slightly agitated that no one had informed them of what was going on.

Once they arrived at Melissa's place, they banged loudly on the apartment door, and most shockingly, Melissa answered, through the door as she was petrified of who was at the door as she had no way of knowing it was her friends, especially after the thunderous banging. Superman informed her that it was he and Batman coming to check on exactly what was going on and the door better be opened. Melissa let them in (to their surprise) and cowered toward the back of the room (to their greater surprise) – she was still exceptionally fragile from her whole episode. For once, both powerful, impressive, mighty heroes saw Melissa delicate, fragile, ill, terrified, wounded, frightened, enervated, defenseless, vulnerable, helpless, and susceptible as she promptly cowered in the distant corner, shaking significantly and unable to stand up on her own. Superman and Batman were befuddled as this whole situation was bizarre and Melissa was acting extraordinarily different from normal.

Almost immediately, they realized they might have been a little too demanding and tried to make Melissa feel more comfortable so they could ask her questions. Superman even soothingly lifted the quivering and fragile Melissa up and set her on the couch, making sure not to hurt her any more than she already was. Superman and Batman were exceptionally astonished, as they had expected that Robin decided to take Melissa back, not the other way around (except for the fact that Melissa did not know how to operate the Bat Multi-craft, so it must have been a joint venture). Melissa told them to not be so loud as Robin was asleep and was not to be disturbed. Robin had expended most of his vigor keeping vigil while Melissa was unconscious, and Melissa was returning the favor out of the kindness of her heart and her intense feelings for Robin, though they could see she did not have much more vigor than Robin had when they last checked in on the pair. In fact, she had much less vigor than Robin, but they knew from the experience of Melissa taking care of Superman that Melissa will care for others even at her own expense.

When they asked about Robin, she feebly pointed toward the airbed in the guest room. They looked in and realized that Robin had been so exhausted from keeping vigil at Melissa's beside that now Melissa was caring for Robin, an ironic twist. Robin was tucked in with a warm blanket and looked like an overgrown baby sleeping time away (no one knew Melissa had sedated Robin to get him to rest). They left Robin in peace, shut the door to the room, and headed back to the living room to quietly talk amongst themselves, trying not to wake Robin in the process. Melissa was allowed to rest while they chatted, but that did not stop Batman and Superman from expressing their concerns over what had happened.

After a couple hours of lecturing Melissa (without Melissa having much of a chance to get a word in edgewise, nor having the strength to do so) about leaving without telling them, Batman and Superman asked Melissa to tell them what had happened while she was out as her vital signs fluctuated quite often. They explained to her that she had been out for three whole days and had to receive fluids among other things to help her gain strength and survive. Melissa was shocked by this, but knew that maybe that was why she had the dream she did. As for what had happened, Melissa said she wanted to wait until Robin was better to talk about that. She was unsure if she would be able to tell the story more than once, and so she wanted everyone to hear it at one time.

And, at that precise moment, Robin woke up, feeling better, full of energy, and realizing that he was in an unfamiliar yet familiar place. Robin noticed that he was in a room with all kinds of Minnesota paraphernalia and noticed that he was lying on an airbed, wrapped up in a warm blanket and a gentle comforter. Robin slowly climbed out of the airbed and erratically walked out the guestroom door, still tired from his vigil, only to see Bruce and Clark, in their superhero costumes, talking with Melissa about him and what had gone on. He could tell that Melissa still had extremely little energy, but he realized that it did not stop her from focusing her limited energy on him. He had more energy than her and yet she was still willing to put her life on the line to make sure he got better. He realized at this point just how special she was to him.

Robin made his presence known, and Melissa halfway jumped up to give him a huge embrace and a kiss, which used about all the energy she possessed. Robin, of course, reciprocated the actions, helping Melissa to remain standing long enough for the hug and kiss, then assisting her back to the futon so that she would not fall. Bruce (Batman) and Clark (Superman) smiled and laughed. Robin and Melissa had obviously had feelings for each other for a while; however, it took the last two episodes where Melissa was almost lost for Robin to realize his feelings, as Melissa had realized her feelings already, just was unsure how Robin would take what she had to tell him (fairly soon).

After the happy reunion, Melissa asked Superman to fly them to the Hall of Justice so she could tell them what had happened to her. All waited in eager anticipation of what she was going to say. Melissa took a huge gulp, as she knew that once they arrived at the Hall of Justice and all the Superfriends were assembled, she would be completely opening herself up to all who were present and she was terrified although she knew it needed to be done, especially if she ever wanted to keep Robin. She prayed sincerely and desperately that what she said would not push Robin away from her. If it did, it might just crush her, more so than anything else that she ever had experienced as she was still fighting her depression that was caused by the very things she was going to divulge. She inaudibly, pleadingly prayed all the way to the Hall of Justice and left everything in God's more than capable hands. If anyone knew the way to go, God did.

Once at the Hall, Melissa sat all the members down and began to elucidate about her dream that she had experienced. She told them about her nightmare in as much detail as she could remember (which was quite a bit). She talked about the red brick road and the stripping away of all her protection and friends, which demonstrated vulnerability. She talked about this first, as the first horrific part of the nightmare would come afterward, that is if it needed to be exposed. (She was extremely anxious and nervous about this whole thing, but knew it was vitally important to explain.) The Superfriends were surprised at the vividness in which she remembered the dream and what happened to each person. At least it had a somewhat successful conclusion.

After she told the finale of that nightmare, the Superfriends questioned her further, realizing that there must be more to the nightmare that Melissa was not telling. Melissa then finally gave up one of her longest, most painful, most guarded secrets of what had happened to her at many different junctures in her short life. She talked about the incessant bullying and about how she felt so alone because she could not converse with anyone or trust anyone to believe her about what was going on. She spilled the beans of what she had gone through, every last facet that she had memorized. Melissa poured her broken heart and anxious soul out, releasing much of the pain and grief that had been pent up for so many years. Tears filled her gray-blue eyes, anguish filled her shaky voice, and vehemence raged through her trembling body, causing her to struggle to stay cool, calm and collected. She was using absolutely every ounce of her restricted energy to keep herself from bolting and hiding. As she kept going, she began to severely tremble, from combating staying and talking rather than bolting in her wounded and weakened condition. At the conclusion, Melissa was almost incoherent and was bawling (as well as petrified). She was so strained from resisting the instinct to flee that she just dropped down onto her hands and knees in defeat, hoping and praying that they would still accept her now that they knew the shocking truth of her short life.

All the Superfriends, especially Robin and the Twins, were stunned to heed what she had gone through in her life, all the experiences she survived just to get to be where she was today. They had no idea that bullying like that happens so prevalently, and that Melissa was living proof. Her fragile and powerful emotions poured out, as if an old dam had finally been unplugged and allowed to drain much of the build up and the extreme pressure that had been built up behind it. Even though she could laugh at some of it, most of it was too painful to elicit any sort of reaction besides tears, hurt, pain, and possibly anger. And, they did not realize how it felt to survive such a tumultuous time especially with the person feeling like she had nowhere to turn and was left completely alone with no support visible in the person's eyes. This explained a lot about Melissa's past actions and why she was proficient in survival during the times that she had. She had been a survivor all her life, only trusting that she could rely on God and herself, although more recently she had started to learn that she could sometimes trust others to assist her. This really opened the Superfriends' eyes to see life through Melissa's eyes. Now they were able to understand her much better.

After Melissa exposed her most vulnerable aspect as well as her most guarded secrets to all who were present, she was somewhat relieved, but also immensely petrified that her friends would abandon her. (As some had done in the past and most of them had no idea.) She had even mentioned that to them, which surprised them to no end. Now that they knew her most fortified secrets about her life scars and trials, there was nothing left to do but await their reactions. Minutes went by where no one said anything, drawing sweat to Melissa's apprehensive brow and causing her enormous anxiety – as those minutes felt like hours. It was so still one could hear a pin drop.

After what seemed like forever to Melissa and her poor broken heart and body, Jayna finally broke the silence in a different way than anyone expected, particularly Melissa. Jayna went up to Melissa, raised her head up, and gave her a colossal embrace, as Jayna now realized how and why Melissa could understand how the twins felt, though the experience was different, Jayna now could see the numerous similarities between Melissa's experiences and hers and her brother's experience, although there was one vast difference (besides being from different worlds). The biggest difference, Jayna realized, was that Melissa had to deal with everything by herself alone, something Jayna did not know if she would have had the strength to survive if she did not have her brother for support. Melissa wept aloud, unable to prevent the deluge of tears now flowing in two solid streams from her terrified, saddened blue-gray eyes. Zan also went up and gave Melissa a gigantic hug. The others were still in such a state of shock that they did not move and were unable to move.

Robin, after learning all of Melissa's past, now understood why she kept this side away from others. She had such a soft, caring, gentle, loving, sensitive side that to counteract it she had to become tough, extremely feisty, independent, apathetic, fierce, sarcastic, unyielding, and downright cold even though she had a heart of Blue and Gold that bled bright red. Her heart was scars upon scars, not all of them healed, as well as some wounds that had not even begun to heal yet. Being durable, inhuman, emotionless, and hard-hitting was how she survived all those years of torment, as crying, acting altruistic, being human and being soft would have shown weakness to her adversaries. She had learned that lesson a lot earlier than most people, at least in Robin's mind, who did not know in 1st grade that showing weakness was grave, the way Melissa did. The "robot" that Melissa transformed into became a prison to her in which she had become trapped, unable to escape her own protective creation. Her walls had worked so well to keep others from getting in that only now she realized she left herself no way out.

Robin knew from all of Batman's years of teaching that to show weakness to your enemies was the surest way to be defeated and exploited, but he learned that much later than Melissa did. This was when he realized why his innocent, joking remarks that one time hurt Melissa so much, even though she did (tried) not let it show. He had done the very thing that hurts her most, and he was incensed at himself for doing that. He could not believe that he had done the one thing that cuts straight to her heart and yet she still wanted him and he wanted her. The only thing, he learned, that made her hurt worse than her secrets and her past was being abandoned by those she loved and trusted – which had happened a couple of times previously, leaving her feeling even more alone and vulnerable as well as her confidence and trust in herself and others shattered.

After Robin had finally learned that the rationale for Melissa never crying in public, he realized that all the crap that she had put up with was just unbelievable, as he did not understand how anyone could be so cruel to someone so benevolent, mellow, lovable, and compassionate even if she did have a bit of a fiery, rebellious, defiant side. She was so gentle, caring, and soft inside that Robin truly realized that Melissa was still working out who she really was, and her two or more sides were at war with each other, each not yet ready to work together to find Melissa's true self. Robin was so astounded and dumbfounded that he decided that he had to escape from the room because he just could not handle the reality of what had just been said by Melissa. The information was too heavy to handle without being able to process it.

As he headed out, he hoped to sneak out without being caught, but he had no such luck. Melissa saw him out of the corner of her eye leaving the room, and fearing that he no longer wanted her or to be her friend, began to bawl uncontrollably, as her knees gave out from under her and she crashed to the ground heavily, bruising her knees and hurting her wrists. She felt that she just lost the one thing she wanted to hold onto so dearly. Wonder Woman, noticing that Robin had walked off and Melissa's reaction to the action went to talk to Robin. Wonder Woman obviously knew that Robin had no clue what he had just done by walking out to do whatever he needed/wanted to do.

When Wonder Woman finally reached Robin, Robin was kicking the ground, perturbed as well as perplexed. She walked up to him and asked him what was wrong. Robin told her that he needed to get away and think. The reality of what Melissa said just was too much to take in all at once and Robin required sometime to consider it. Wonder Woman asked if Robin realized that the way he left the room made Melissa feel like he was abandoning her. Robin suddenly jerked around when Wonder Woman said that as that was not what he intended. He realized that he had just done what Melissa had hoped and prayed he would not do when she told her narrative. He also realized that if he did not go back in there promptly and profusely apologize as well as beg for forgiveness, he might lose Melissa forever, something that would crush him completely. He knew precisely what he needed to do, but the question was would Melissa ever exonerate him for his perceived callousness (he wondered)?

As Robin promptly headed back inside, he could see with his startled eyes that the bawling Melissa was being warmly and gently consoled by Jayna and Wendy (bruises apparent on Melissa's knees, hands, and wrists) while the other males stood around, not wanting to get involved but in tremendous shock that Robin would opt to disappear at that precise time without any regard for those around him, especially Melissa. Superman and Aquaman were standing there, cross-armed, sternly and intensely looking at Robin, as was Batman – the scornful looks on their stoic faces spoke volumes, as they knew that one never does that when another opens herself to the other, exposing her most vulnerable points. Marvin and Zan were just watching as they lacked the experience to comprehend exactly what had happened because of Robin's actions, but were learning that what Robin did was not what was supposed to happen nor was it appropriate. They both glared at Robin, mimicking the scornful looks they saw on the older members countenances.

Robin felt extremely minuscule, if not microscopic, as he passed by each of the older Superheroes, already feeling dreadful and blameworthy that he had made Melissa feel like he abandoned her. It was now much more evident to Robin that he had done the erroneous thing by choosing to leave the room when he did, as at least five sets of angry eyes glared crossly and unsympathetically at him. Robin could not look a single person in the eye as he continued walking progressively and carefully toward where Melissa was sitting, still crying with streams of tears dropping from her tear-filled, soft, hurt, bluish-gray eyes and her wet, reddened, edematous face.

Melissa was not looking as she was still sobbing on Jayna's shoulder further away from Robin. Robin, feeling small in all the unsympathetic glares, sauntered slowly up to where Melissa was sitting and sat down next to her, soothingly taking Jayna's place while trying to evade the irate gaze in Jayna's piercing, purple eyes as well as Wendy's intense, blue-eyed stare. Even Jayna and Wendy, who were inexperienced in art of dating and relationships (Jayna was unsure how things worked here on earth), knew enough that when someone opens herself up to someone the last thing she wants is for the guy to walk out and make her feel like he has abandoned her. In other words, the guy was basically shooting her down when she is the most vulnerable; as she has just opened herself completely up to be judged with no protection between him and her very heart and soul.

Robin gradually reached for her hand, hoping against hope that she would not pull away. At first, she did pull away a little, but then she let him grasp her hand. Jayna and Wendy moved further away at this point, still giving Robin the irate, belittling glare, and Robin gave Melissa a gigantic embrace and profusely apologized, hoping against hope that Melissa would forgive him for what he had done. Melissa, bless her heart, forgave him after telling him exactly how he made her feel. Robin took that in stride (as he had just learned her secrets) and finally asked her to officially be his girlfriend. Melissa was so surprised that she almost toppled over in her chair on top of Robin. She said yes, and the others were happy for the couple, although the other male Superheroes quickly and quietly took Robin aside and told him never to walk out on Melissa again, or he would have to deal with them. Both Robin and Melissa let out an enormous sigh of relief, knowing that the feelings that they felt were mutual and reciprocated.

Not too long after this adventure, Dick Grayson (Robin) and Melissa were wed, after a surprise proposal by Robin which was an adventure that all the Superfriends were in on and allowed Robin to rescue Melissa (who had no idea what was going on until afterwards, but fortunately she still said yes). Melissa's friends and family were invited, along with Robin's friends. Firestorm, Speedy, and Kid Flash were the groomsmen while Aqualad was best man (in their normal identities of course). Melissa's friends were bridesmaids and Melissa's sister was her maid of honor. Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Arthur Curry, Hal Jordan, John Jones, Barry Allen and Ray Palmer were all ushers. Diana Prince, Wonder Girl (as her normal self), Wendy and Jayna were handing out the bags of rice. Zan and Marvin helped seat people as well. Cyborg was unable to attend the wedding, but sent along his hardiest congratulations to the happy new couple. Snapper Carr, who was unable to attend due to being out of the country, even sent his congratulations to the happy new couple. It was an exquisite, picturesque, romantic wedding, not extravagant but simply elegant.

Even though married, Robin still goes and helps the Superfriends. Melissa does her job as a nurse as well as helping out the Superfriends when they need it. People ask her all the time what it is like to be married to Dick Grayson and have Bruce Wayne as well as Clark Kent as a close contact. Melissa says nothing, letting them think what they want as she knows that she has been given the secret trust of the Superfriends, especially Aquaman, Superman, Batman, and Robin. Robin and Melissa are even now expecting their first little ones to arrive soon, triplet sons. Everything has ended well for Melissa and she now looks forward to what lies ahead, knowing that she will be taken care of no matter what happens in the future.


End file.
